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2024-02-01 | We investigated the influence of boron addition on the high-temperature ductility of the coarse-grain heat-affected zone (CGHAZ) to eliminate the stress-relief cracking (SRC) in T23 steel. First, the CGHAZ was simulated for T23 steel with varying boron content. Then, high-temperature tensile tests were conducted to evaluate the stress release process of the welds, and finally, the fracture modes, precipitation evolutions, and boron distributions were observed. There was a significant improvement in grain boundary (GB) plasticity and SRC resistance with the addition of 0.01 wt.% boron. This is attributed to the segregation of boron at the GB, which delays the rapid precipitation and growth of M 23 C 6 , hinders micro-void formation, and reduces the depletion of alloying elements near the GB. Furthermore, during the tensile test, boron competes with carbon for segregation at the GB, resulting in the initial formation of boron-rich phases ((Fe, Cr) 23 (B, C) 6 ), which subsequently transform into more stable phases ((Fe, Cr, W) 23 C 6 ) over time. This study provides a straightforward method for eliminating SRC in T23 steel and other creep-resistant alloys. | Effect of boron addition on the GB precipitation and SRC resistance of CGHAZ in advanced bainitic heat-resistant steel | 10.1007/s40194-023-01662-9 |
2024-02-01 | Interfacial properties of nanomaterials and polymer matrix in nanocomposites strongly affect not only the dispersion of nanomaterials within the matrix, but also the mechanical properties and performance of nanocomposite. This work is aimed at providing a facile and single-step method for tailoring surface energy of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) to control the interfacial properties of polycaprolactone (PCL)/CNC nanocomposite. 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyl acrylate (PFDA) monomers were polymerized on the surface of CNCs using low-pressure plasma polymerization. The success of polymerization process was verified by a variety of analytical techniques. As a direct consequence of dominance of polymerization or ablation processes, CNCs with various surface energies ranging between 8.0 and 42.4 mJ/m 2 were successfully obtained by changing plasma power and duration in both continuous and pulse modes, and pulse-off time in pulse mode. The unmodified and modified CNCs with known surface energies were added to the PCL-based solution to make PCL/CNC nanocomposites with different interfacial properties through dry casting. Using DMTA and tensile measurement experiments, it was demonstrated that the compatibility of surface energies between two components of a nanocomposite, i.e., nanoparticle and matrix, is of paramount importance to enhance the dispersion of nanomaterials within the matrix as well as controlling the interfacial properties to reach the desired mechanical properties. Using modified CNCs with tailored surface energies, T g , Young’s modulus and tensile strength of the PCL/CNC nanocomposite were increased by approximately 13.4%, 23.6% and 14.8%, respectively, with respect to the neat PCL film. These values for unmodified CNCs were about 11.1%, 17.9% and 0%, respectively. | Tailoring surface energy of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) via low-pressure plasma polymerization to control the interfacial properties in polycaprolactone (PCL)/CNC nanocomposite | 10.1007/s10570-023-05699-3 |
2024-02-01 | In recent years, great attention has been paid to the challenge of integrating more sustainable circular approaches to manufacturing, which involve optimising the entire product cycle, from design to fabrication, assembly and eventual reuse/recycling. In this context, the use of thermoplastic composite materials in combination with adhesive bonding is attracting increasing attention to achieve this dual objective. Therefore, the proposed research focuses on the experimental and statistical optimisation of an adhesive bonding process for glass-fibre–reinforced composite substrates with polypropylene matrix, with the aim of comparing its performance with that of joints made using more conventional configurations, i.e. utilising thermosetting substrates. A low-pressure plasma pre-bonding surface treatment is adopted, and its effectiveness in enhancing joint performance compared to more conventional preparations for plastics is discussed. By varying plasma parameters according to the design of experiments statistical approach, the joint response is studied in terms of tensile shear strength and modelled in accordance with the response surface methodology to identify the optimum condition of process parameters within the established system boundaries. The study found that with optimised pre-treatment, adhesive joints of glass-fibre–reinforced composites with thermoplastic matrices (first scenario) can achieve tensile shear strength (TSS) comparable to that of thermoset composites (second scenario), making them viable options in various applications. Two alternative scenarios—namely, joints with thermoplastic composite or thermoset composite substrates—are then analysed by the life cycle assessment methodology and compared according to their relative environmental impact, demonstrating that glass-fibre thermoplastic composite joints are competitive alternatives to thermoset joints in terms of mechanical static performance achieved, but significantly preferable with regard to environmental sustainability. | Adhesive bonding of glass-fibre thermoplastic composite: process optimisation and sustainability analysis using LCA methodology | 10.1007/s00170-024-13022-y |
2024-02-01 | Developing efficient process and technologies for the conversion of lignin into valuable functional chemicals is an important aspect of the biorefinery concept. In this study, the effect of low-cost base catalyst (NaOH, KOH, K 2 CO 3 and Na 2 CO 3 ) and acid catalyst formic acid (FA) was examined for the effective depolymerization of lignin into monomers of phenolic compounds at low temperatures (140, 160 and 180 °C). Also, different reaction residence time (30, 60 and 120 min.), catalyst amounts have been varied to optimize the liquefaction reaction conditions. In the case of non-catalytic experiments, maximum bio-oil yield (14.2 wt.%) was obtained at 160 °C for 30 min. reaction time. With K 2 CO 3 catalysts, maximum bio-oil yield of 26.0 wt.% was observed, whereas in case of formic acid (FA) catalyst lignin depolymerization is very effective as it produced maximum bio-oil yield of 78.0 wt.%. Bio-oils were characterized using GC–MS, FT-IR, NMR analytical methods. Bio-oil analysis showed that it contained higher amount of phenolic monomers after lignin depolymerization. Higher amount of vanillin (41.9%) and isovanillin (44.9%) was found without catalyst and with FA liquefaction reaction. However with base catalyst, dibutyl phthalate (28.8%) was observed as the major compound in lignin depolymerization derived bio-oil. Solid residue analysis shows that base and acid catalyst depolymerized lignin in different ways by breaking of C-O and C–C bonds. | Catalytic hydrothermal liquefaction of alkali lignin at low temperature: Effect of acid and base catalysts on phenolic monomers production | 10.1007/s13399-022-02603-0 |
2024-02-01 | Background and objective Evidence-based research has shown that golden hour quality improvement (QI) measures can improve the quality of care and reduce serious complications of premature infants. Herein, we sought to review golden hour QI studies to evaluate the impact on the outcome of preterm infants. Methods A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and SinoMed databases from inception to April 03, 2023. Only studies describing QI interventions in the golden hour of preterm infants were included. Outcomes were summarized and qualitative synthesis was performed. Results Ten studies were eligible for inclusion. All studies were from single centers, of which nine were conducted in the USA and one in Israel. Seven were pre-post comparative studies and three were observational studies. Most included studies were of medium quality (80%). The most common primary outcome was admission temperatures and glucose. Five studies ( n = 2308) reported improvements in the admission temperature and three studies ( n = 2052) reported improvements in hypoglycemia after QI. Four studies ( n = 907) showed that the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) was lower in preterm infants after QI: 106/408 (26.0%) vs. 122/424(29.5%) [OR = 0.68, 95% CI 0.48–0.97, p = 0.04]. Conclusions Our study showed that the golden hour QI bundle can improve the short-term and long-term outcomes for extremely preterm infants. There was considerable heterogeneity and deficiencies in the included studies, and the variation in impact on outcomes suggests the need to use standardized and validated measures. Future studies are needed to develop locally appropriate, high-quality, and replicable QI projects. | Quality improvement in the golden hour for premature infants: a scoping review | 10.1186/s12887-024-04558-9 |
2024-02-01 | The development of photoelectrochemical energy conversion devices holds immense significance in addressing the escalating demand for renewable and environmentally benign energy. By harnessing the synergistic effects of salt mixtures that encompass both large and small counter ions, notable advancements in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) performance have been realized. The investigated DSSCs with a novel organic electrolyte complex that contains LiI and (tetrahexylammonium) Hex 4 NI exhibited significant efficiency enhancement compared to that of their individual salt end components. The ionic conductivity variations and frequency-dependent AC conductivity in the electrolyte and dielectric properties were analyzed using complex impedance data. The conductivity in the electrolyte at room temperature is 11.44 mS cm −1 . The investigated DSSCs are comprised of improved TiO 2 multilayer photoelectrodes and Pt counter electrodes. Under an irradiance of 1000 W m −2 , the energy conversion efficiency of the mixed salt system reached 8.37%, marking an impressive enhancement of 86.83% and 76.21% compared to the Hex 4 NI and LiI-based single salt counterparts, respectively. Additionally, an impressive efficiency of 10.57% is shown when the light intensity drops to 400 W m −2 . The cells exhibited commendable short-term stability, likely attributed to the elimination of volatile solvents in the electrolyte. This study underscores the pivotal role played by mixed counter ions in the electrolyte, as they elicit synergistic effects that amplify DSSC performance enhancements, effectively overshadowing the effects imposed by conductivity variation. | Investigation of the mixed cation effect and the irradiance level dependence on the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells | 10.1007/s11581-023-05299-y |
2024-02-01 | In the present work, stable organogels and hydrogels could be formed by dimeric-dehydrocholic acid derivative (DDAD) in different solvents. Compared with the organogels, the hydrogels formed by DDAD were found to be thermal reversible and had higher gel-to-solution transition temperature. The supramolecular structures in the organogels and hydrogels were further studied by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). TEM and AFM images of the supramolecular gels showed that the solvent effects played a crucial role in morphological structures. Specifically, the organogel had a three-dimensional porous network structure. While, the hydrogel had a supramolecular structure made up of long fibers. Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) showed that multiple hydrogen bonds among the gelator molecules were the main driving forces in gel formation. On this base, the solvent effects on the gelation abilities and thermal stability were discussed. Thus, the present study provides a solvent-induced self-assembly approach and contributes substantially to the development of the supramolecular gels as soft materials. | Using a solvent-induced self-assembly approach to fabricate and tune the organogels and hydrogels | 10.1007/s00396-023-05186-y |
2024-02-01 | This work constructed a machine learning (ML) model to predict the atmospheric corrosion rate of low-alloy steels (LAS). The material properties of LAS, environmental factors, and exposure time were used as the input, while the corrosion rate as the output. 6 different ML algorithms were used to construct the proposed model. Through optimization and filtering, the eXtreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) model exhibited good corrosion rate prediction accuracy. The features of material properties were then transformed into atomic and physical features using the proposed property transformation approach, and the dominant descriptors that affected the corrosion rate were filtered using the recursive feature elimination (RFE) as well as XGBoost methods. The established ML models exhibited better prediction performance and generalization ability via property transformation descriptors. In addition, the SHapley additive exPlanations (SHAP) method was applied to analyze the relationship between the descriptors and corrosion rate. The results showed that the property transformation model could effectively help with analyzing the corrosion behavior, thereby significantly improving the generalization ability of corrosion rate prediction models. | Prediction model for corrosion rate of low-alloy steels under atmospheric conditions using machine learning algorithms | 10.1007/s12613-023-2679-5 |
2024-02-01 | Ultra-low carbon (ULC) steels, containing a carbon content ~ 0.055 wt%, have been used in several applications in the form of thin foils. However, there are limited studies on the effects of foil thickness ( t ) to grain size ( d ) ratio and foil condition on the tensile response and formability of thin ULC steel foils. In the present work, the tensile and forming behaviours of ULC steel foils of thickness about 400 µm were evaluated in both annealed and prestrained (by cold reduction to 2–7%) conditions as a function of t/d ratio and followed by detailed texture evolution analysis. Vacuum annealing was used to achieve varying t/d ratios in the specimens. Additionally, thin ULC steel foils of 100 μm thickness in annealed condition were also used for examining the thickness effect. Microstructural analysis was performed using the electron backscattered diffraction technique. Microformability was assessed by a miniaturised Nakazima test setup with specimen geometries designed to produce three different strain paths. The annealed foils displayed a typical yield-point phenomenon, but the total yield-point elongation decreased with decreasing thickness and grain size. The foils exhibited typical Hall–Petch strengthening, cold work hardening, and forming limit curves; however, there were substantial reductions in both tensile strength and ductility, and consequently, the forming strains, with decreasing the t/d ratio. The tensile response and formability of the foils were adversely affected by both thinning and prestraining. The texture studies revealed the formation of a γ-fibre i.e., < 111 >||normal direction, and its intensity varied significantly with the t/d ratio and mode of strain path. Graphical Abstract | Effects of Foil Thickness to Grain Size (t/d) Ratio and Prestraining on Tensile Response, Microformability and Crystallographic Texture of Ultra-Low Carbon Steel Thin Foils | 10.1007/s12540-023-01520-9 |
2024-02-01 | In order to avoid the food vs. fuel debate, other than food-based products, agricultural products are effective sources for fuel development. Various parts of plants and trees are used to produce sustainable, low-viscous biofuels, which are gaining much attraction due to their superior burning abilities. The turpentine biofuel produced from pine tree oil has been used for gasoline engines because of its better calorific value and other notable benefits. An attempt has been made to investigate the suitability of turpentine biofuel as a 50% replacement for gasoline in automotive applications to identify the optimum blend ratio. In this study, the experiments are conducted in the port-fuel-injected gasoline engine at different loading conditions of 0 kg to 15 kg at 1800 rpm. Using turpentine blends in a port-fuel-injected SI engine, performance characteristics have been observed with up to a 3–5% improvement in brake thermal efficiency and fuel economy for all concentrations of turpentine biofuel due to their higher calorific value. However, the implementation of turpentine biofuel has shown remarkable reductions in unburnt hydrocarbons by 50% and carbon monoxide emissions by 90% due to its superior burning ability. However, this reduction is not witnessed in oxides of nitrogen and carbon dioxide emissions due to the lower octane number and higher viscosity, which result in a 30% and 5% increase, respectively. Interestingly, the combustion characteristics are observed to be better at part load operations for lower concentrations (30%) of turpentine biofuel in the blends, and this trend has not been noticed at higher concentrations of turpentine biofuel. Finally, it has been concluded that turpentine biofuel would be a better option for the partial replacement of gasoline by up to 30%. However, for further investigation, the anti-knocking characteristics of the turpentine biofuel need to be improved, especially in 40% and 50% turpentine biofuel blends using suitable anti-knocking agents. | Environmental, combustion, and performance investigation of low viscous biofuel in port fuel injection spark-ignition engine | 10.1007/s10973-023-12754-5 |
2024-02-01 | Low-carbon design that reduces the life cycle carbon emissions of products at source is increasingly becoming an important direction in product design to mitigate global warming further. An important design principle should be minimizing the product's weight and movement efficiency while minimizing its life cycle carbon emissions. This paper proposed a product kinematic analysis based on carbon footprint. After that, it developed a flexible picking actuator for tomato fruit based on the Bricard mechanism. Through kinematic analysis of the picking actuator, the optimized design of the mechanism is followed by simulation tests to reduce the carbon footprint over its life cycle. A systematic carbon footprint calculation model for the Bricard mechanism-based picking actuator is also developed and applied in the product design process to verify the design mechanism's feasibility, method and technology. Graphical Abstract | Product kinematic analysis and optimization for low-carbon footprint | 10.1007/s10098-023-02639-4 |
2024-02-01 | The synergy of excellent yield strength and ductility has always been a dilemma for conventional rolled magnesium alloys. In this paper, the contributions of alloying elements, deformation twinning and recrystallization to strengthening and toughening of the high strain rolled Mg–1.1Mn–0.5Al (wt%) alloys with variable rolling passes (1, 2, 4 and 7) at low temperature (473 K) were revealed. The results showed that the pyramidal < c + a > slips mediated dynamic recrystallization was prone to promote synergistic strengthening and toughening of the high strain rolled Mg–1.1Mn–0.5Al alloy. The progressive microstructure evolution was characterized with increasing rolling passes by the dominant $$\{ {10\overline{1}2} \}$$ { 10 1 ¯ 2 } tension twins, the balanced distribution of $$\{{10\overline{1}2} \}$$ { 10 1 ¯ 2 } , $$\{{10\overline{1}1} \}$$ { 10 1 ¯ 1 } , $$\{{10\overline{1}3} \}$$ { 10 1 ¯ 3 } , $$\{{10\overline{1}1} \} - \{{10\overline{1}2} \}$$ { 10 1 ¯ 1 } - { 10 1 ¯ 2 } , $$\{{10\overline{1}3} \} - \{{10\overline{1}2} \}$$ { 10 1 ¯ 3 } - { 10 1 ¯ 2 } and $$\{{10\overline{1}2} \} - \{{10\overline{1}2} \}$$ { 10 1 ¯ 2 } - { 10 1 ¯ 2 } multi-system twins, the mixed twinning dynamic recrystallization, discontinuous dynamic recrystallization, continuous dynamic recrystallization and the complete recrystallization grains, finally resulting in significant grain refinement to 4.72 μm. It was experiment confirmed that the massive evenly distributed compression twins accompanied by the high < c + a > slips activity were able to coordinate local plastic deformation with each other so as to accommodate high strain rolling, promote strain softening effect and accelerated recrystallization rather than become a source of cracks during high strain rate rolling. Thanks to the micro and nano sized α-Mn and Al 8 Mn 5 precipitates, which brought out an activation of non-basal slip and accelerated recrystallization additively, the recrystallized Mg–1.1Mn–0.5Al alloy with excellent yield strength (~ 311 MPa), ultimate tensile strength (~ 378 MPa) and fracture elongation (~ 20.4%) were obtained via 7 passes rolling without annealing. Graphical Abstract | Non-basal Slips Mediated Dynamic Recrystallization Promote Synergistic Strengthening and Toughening of Centrifugal Casting Mg–1.1Mn–0.5Al Alloy via High Strain Rolling | 10.1007/s12540-023-01516-5 |
2024-02-01 | The main objective of the present analysis is to characterize the transient buoyancy-motivated free convection turbulent flow and heat transfer characteristic features of an incompressible viscous fluid past a vertical cylinder with low-Reynolds-number (LRN) k–ε turbulence model in a two-dimensional coordinate system numerically. The Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes equations (RANS) such as continuity, momentum, and energy are considered in terms of cylindrical coordinate system. The extra stress tensors obtained from the RANS model are closed using the eddy diffusive model. The local value of turbulent kinematic viscosity ( $${\nu }_{t}$$ ν t ) is determined by utilizing the kinetic energy $$(k)$$ ( k ) and dissipation rate $$(\epsilon )$$ ( ϵ ) equations. The resulting system of partial differential equations (PDEs) with high nonlinearity, governing the turbulent boundary layer flow are solved using the implicit Crank–Nicolson technique. The discretized set of dimensionless tridiagonal algebraic equations are simplified by utilizing Thomas algorithm. Also, the simulated results are expressed in terms of graphs to analyse the average velocity, temperature, kinetic energy, dissipation rate, and also average momentum and heat transfer rates for the varying values of turbulent Prandtl ( $${Pr}_{t}$$ Pr t ), Grashof $${(Gr}_{t})$$ ( G r t ) and Reynolds ( $${Re}_{t}$$ Re t ) numbers. It is noted that the average velocity, kinetic energy, dissipation rate of kinetic energy fields suppressed, and temperature field enhanced with increasing $${Re}_{t}$$ Re t . Also, the rising turbulent Prandtl parameter decreased the average velocity, temperature, turbulent kinetic energy, and dissipation rate profiles. Further, the increasing turbulent Grashof number decreased the kinetic energy and dissipation rate profiles. Further, the obtained results from the present turbulent investigation are compared with the existing results and observed an excellent agreement. | Turbulent low-Reynolds-number k–ε model effect on buoyancy-driven free convection flow past a vertical cylinder | 10.1007/s12648-023-02797-7 |
2024-02-01 | Gravity load-carrying members of a structure are often subjected to low-velocity impact during construction and subsequent service life. In contrast to quasi-static situations, dynamic impacts introduce impulsive loading that must be carefully addressed by considering the strain-rate characteristics of materials. The performance of reinforced concrete (RC) slabs with opening(s) subjected to such loading is an important topic of considerable interest from the structural design point of view. The present study investigates the response of an RC slab with an opening under drop-weight impact loading and therefore analysis sets out via an explicit platform of Abaqus software. Damage plasticity models built into the ABAQUS software are used to incorporate materials’ nonlinearity in the analysis. The slab that does not have any openings is regarded as the baseline slab, and its response to impact load is compared to the findings of Sadraie et al. (Eng Struct 191, 62–81, 2019). Following validation, square and circular openings of 1/8th of the size of the slab (≈125 mm) at diagonally and mid-span eccentric farthest possible locations in the middle strip of the slab are considered and analysed to evaluate its impact response under the same drop load. Slab performance is found invariably almost identical in terms of maximum displacement for the location and geometry of the opening of the same size. However, the slab with a circular opening displays improved performance against damage and cracking than with a square opening along the diagonally eccentric location of the slab. The novelty of this research lies in the determination of the optimal geometry and diagonal positioning of opening/s in the RC slab to enhance its anti-damage performance. | Prediction of impact response of square reinforced concrete (RC) slab with square/circular opening under drop-weight impact using FEM simulation | 10.1007/s42107-023-00903-y |
2024-02-01 | Gasification slag (GS) is rich in SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , and Fe 2 O 3 , and has excellent particle size gradation, which has the potential to be employed as an aggregate in the field of controlled low-strength material (CLSM). Nevertheless, the large-scale application of GS as the fine aggregate for the preparation of CLSM has been scarcely investigated. In the present work, the applicability of replacing part of coal gangue (CG) with gasification coarse slag (GCS) as fine aggregate for the preparation of CLSM was investigated. The results revealed that using GCS as a fine aggregate improved the flowability of CLSM, and increasing the GCS content from 0 to 50 wt% improved the flowability from 250.0 to 280.0 mm. The 28-day compressive strength of all CLSM conformed to the requirements of ACI Committee 229. Compared to the Blank group, the 7- and 28-day compressive strength of the CLSM increased by 23.07% and 26.80%, respectively, at a GCS content of 50 wt%. The increase in compressive strength was mainly due to the pore-filling and hydration-promoting effect of the GCS, which made the structure denser. The dense structure reduced the expansion rate, absorption, and porosity rate of CLSM and increased the wet density. The optimal process parameter was the addition of 10 wt% of GCS. The results of heavy metal ion leaching showed that the optimal sample GS10 leached all heavy metal ions in much less than the limit values of GB 8978–1996 and GB 5085.3–2007. The results will provide new ideas and technical approaches for the large-scale application of GCS as the fine aggregate in CLSM. Graphical Abstract | Evaluation of the applicability of gasification coarse slag as a fine aggregate in controlled low-strength material: preparation, performance, and environmental effect | 10.1007/s11356-024-32074-x |
2024-02-01 | In this study, the microstructure evolution of laser solid forming (LSF) 34CrNiMo6 steel with different deposition thickness was investigated. The microstructure of 10 layers (1.35 mm) sample from bottom to top presented the martensite with a large amount of upper bainite, the mixture of martensite and lower bainite, and the mixture of martensite and retained austenite. When deposition thickness reached 20 layers (3.12 mm), the microstructure of the deposition zone consisted of a large amount of bainite (needle-like lower bainite and feather-like upper bainite) and a small amount of martensite. Besides, the number and size of the feather-like upper bainite gradually increased from the top to the bottom of the deposition, and the morphology of martensite changed from lath-shaped to island-shaped. Two types of carbides morphology existed in lower bainite at the top of 20 layers (3.12 mm) sample: a short rod-shaped with an angle of 55-60° from the main axis and a strip-shaped approximately parallel to the main axis. The carbides in lower bainite can be identified as Fe 3 C. | Effect of Deposition Thickness on the Microstructure of Laser Solid Forming 34CrNiMo6 Steel | 10.1007/s11665-023-08109-8 |
2024-02-01 | Chromite ore processing tailings and low-grade manganese ores are typically considered waste due to their limited or negligible utility, leading to environmental and storage concerns. Researchers globally have explored various methods to utilize or upgrade these wastes, particularly because dumping chromite ore has been linked to severe health issues through Cr(VI) leaching. Individually, these ores lack economic value, and there has not been research on simultaneously reducing both low-grade ores. In this study, the focus lies on smelting these ores together, aiming to create a precursor alloy for 200 series stainless steel scrap. Initial research indicated the potential for scrap formation, validated through lab experiments with varying coke rate, basicity, and holding time. The investigation discovered that smelting this combination could yield a metal product comprising 59% Fe, 24.93% Cr, 7.56% Mn, 0.62% Ni, and 0.93% Si. The optimum basicity was found to be 0.6 with 80% recovery. Notably, this process eliminates intermediate steps in 200 series stainless steel production, potentially reducing overall CO2 emissions. This proposed method represents a cleaner, sustainable approach to repurpose these two waste ores, projecting a net profit of USD 330 per ton. | Valorization From Waste: Combined Reduction of Chromite Ore Processing Tailing and Sub-Grade Manganese Ore to Produce 200 Series Stainless Steel Scrap | 10.1007/s42461-024-00915-5 |
2024-02-01 | Concentrated protic ionic liquid (PIL) without dilution has increased saccharification efficiency due to the solubilization of hemicellulose and lignin compounds. However, concentrated PILs are not cost-effective, highly viscous, and toxic to microorganisms. The present study evaluates the effect of PILs on the solubilization of hemicellulose and lignin present in coconut coir and pith. PILs including pyridinium hydrogen sulfate [PyH][HSO 4 ] and triethylammonium hydrogen sulfate [TEA][HSO 4 ] were considered in this study. The sugars and lignin were partially hydrolyzed during the PIL pretreatment of coir and pith. However, the degree of biomass solubilization varied for different types of biomass and PIL. The changes in the biomass after pretreatment were studied through FTIR and XRD analysis. The yield of glucose released from [PyH][HSO 4 ] and [TEA][HSO 4 ] pretreated coir and pith increased 4.12, 4.73 and 7.36, and 6.44, respectively. The results showed that diluted PIL could be used in a biorefinery to increase the glucose yield with almost similar efficiency obtained from concentrated PIL. The recovery and reusability studies showed the recycled PIL could be utilized 3 times. Further application of low concentrations of PIL suggests the possibility of a new process design for a biorefinery to achieve low operating costs. Graphical abstract | Understanding the effect of low-concentrated protic ionic liquids (PILs) on coconut (Cocos nucifera) residues | 10.1007/s13399-022-02572-4 |
2024-02-01 | Abstract In this research, low-priced bio-chars produced from biomass waste (fiddle-leaf fig seed) via physical and chemical activation processes were applied for selective removals of iodine and reactive dyes. The adsorption natures and capabilities were systematically considered from isotherms, kinetic and thermodynamic parameters. As achieved results, activated bio-char (ABC) prepared via phosphoric activation and carbonization at 400 °C for 2 h presented good capabilities for adsorptions of iodine ( q max = 420.47 mg/g) and reactive red 22 (RR22, q max = 15.17 mg/g). The fast adsorption natures of iodine and RR22 using each adsorbent exhibited monolayer physisorption, which were identified by Langmuir, Dubinin–Radushkevich, Redlich–Peterson, Toth and pseudo-second order, while intra-particle diffusion with 2 steps could be obtained from Weber–Morris model. Thermodynamic nature also displayed that iodine and reactive dye adsorption procedures were endothermic and spontaneous styles, supporting by standard enthalpy/entropy/Gibbs free energy at temperature range about 303–328 K. Moreover, the capability for selective removal of wastewater models (mixed dyes) over all adsorbents was in order of reactive blue 19 (RB19) > RR22 > reactive yellow 3 (RY3). This work methodically focused on adsorption manners of dye molecules using low-priced bio-char and gave possible/green way for wastewater treatment under practical process. Graphical Abstract | Specific investigation for adsorption nature of iodine, reactive dye or wastewater model over low-priced bio-char derived from biomass waste | 10.1007/s11164-023-05198-x |
2024-02-01 | The corrosion mechanism of 510L low alloy steel treated by acid-cleaned surface (ACS) and eco-pickled surface (EPS) techniques in three simulated solutions (S0: atmospheric environment; S1: soil environment; S2: industrial environment) and the influence of interaction between different corrosive anions on corrosion were investigated. The results show that the total corrosion rates of samples in three simulated solutions were in order of S2 > S0 > S1, which is simultaneously correlated with initial corrosion dissolution processes as well as after the formation of corrosion products. HCO 3 − will inhibit the initial corrosion owing to the formation of films, whereas HSO 3 − will accelerate the dissolutions of the matrix based on the synergistic action of HSO 3 − and Cl − . On the other hand, there is no significant difference in corrosion rates between the samples treated by ACS and EPS techniques. The EPS technique that is safe, reusable and environmentally friendly can be further widely used in future work. | Comparison of corrosion mechanisms of 510L low alloy steel treated by ACS and EPS techniques under various service environments | 10.1007/s42243-023-00997-3 |
2024-02-01 | A critical analysis, assessment and evaluation of geothermal resource potentials of Lower Benue Trough was carried out using high-resolution aeromagnetic and radiometric data collected by Fugro airborne surveys, having flight line spacing of 200 m, tie line spacing of 2 km, flight line trend of 035°, and tie line trend of 125°. The data collected within the study area were interpreted and analyzed to determine the geothermal viability of the area for possible harnessing to curb energy crisis ravaging the area and as well generate a clean energy that is environmentally friendly. The interpretation of the acquired data was carried out with the aid of the following software—Oasis Montaj, ArcGIS, Surfer, Microsoft Excel and IIwis. It was observed from this study that the average curie depth, average geothermal gradient and the average heat flow of the Lower Benue Trough are 13.96742 km, 159.4072 mW/m 2 and 42.639 °C/km respectively. The following for Lower Benue Trough were also generated and they include—total magnetic intensity map (TMI), TMI map reduced to the equator (RTE), first vertical derivative (FVD), upward continuation maps (UC), gamma spectrometric images of radioactive elements (potassium, thorium, and uranium), ternary map, and others. This research in summary exposed the geothermal viability of the study area and its possible potential for petroleum exploration. | Evaluation of geothermal resource potential of the Lower Benue Trough using aeromagnetic and radiometric data | 10.1007/s40808-023-01796-1 |
2024-02-01 | The double-layer NiCr-Cr 3 C 2 /Ni-Zn-Al 2 O 3 coatings with sufficient corrosion and wear resistance were prepared on low carbon steel substrates. The intermediate layers Ni-Zn-Al 2 O 3 were fabricated by using low-pressure cold spray (LPCS) method to improve the salt fog corrosion resistance properties of the supersonic plasma spray (SPS) NiCr-Cr 3 C 2 coatings. The friction and wear performance for the double-layer and single-layer NiCr-Cr 3 C 2 coatings were carried out by line-contact reciprocating sliding, respectively. Combined with the coating surface analysis techniques, the effect of the salt fog corrosion on the tribological properties of the double-layer coatings was studied. The results showed that the double-layer coatings exhibited better wear resistance than that of the single-layer coatings, due to the better corrosion resistance of the intermediate layer; the wear mass losses of the double-layer coatings was reduced by 70% than that of the single layer coatings and the wear mechanism of coatings after salt fog corrosion conditions is mainly corrosion wear. | LPCS Ni-Zn-Al2O3 Intermediate Layer Enhanced SPS NiCr-Cr3C2 Coating with Higher Corrosion and Wear Resistances | 10.1007/s11595-024-2871-0 |
2024-02-01 | Abstract The present study was focused on the replacement of refined wheat flour (RWF) by control (CS) and processed sorghum flour [germinated (GS) and roasted (RS)] on the properties of flour/batter/dough (particle size, XRD, pasting, dynamic rheology, farinograph) and bread (physical, textural, digestibility, microbiological and sensory). Prominent variations adhered with sorghum processing, but decreasing patterns occurred for flour–water absorption, dough stability times, storage modulus, peak/final/breakdown viscosities, bread-moisture content, specific volume, porosity, and lightness. Flour’s pasting temperature, dough development time, breadbulk density, hardness, gumminess, and bitterness increased. Composite flours mainly had weak nature compared to RWF. The baking loss was lower for 10–30% CS and GS incorporation than RS. Composite bread had higher in-vitro protein and starch digestibility (CS > GS > RS) than RWF. Three days storage life with acceptable quality scores was obtained for bread with CS and GS up to 20% and RS up to 30% incorporation. Graphical abstract | Effect of sorghum pre-processing (roasting and germination) on the replacement level and quality of sorghum-wheat bread: bread characteristics, digestibility, consumer acceptability and microbiological analysis | 10.1007/s13197-023-05810-3 |
2024-02-01 | Excess inorganic nitrogen in offshore estuarine areas can adversely affect coastal water quality. To explore the bioremediation potential of Ulva lactuca in low-salinity and high-nutrient water, the dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) removal under different low salinities (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0% NaCl) and high nutrients was studied. Static culture experiments exhibited a maximum DIN removal efficiency of 73.74% with U. lactuca in the 1.0% salinity system. The differences in DIN removal efficiency at 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0% NaCl salinity were not significant (p > 0.05 and could reach above 65%. High-throughput sequencing, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and excitation emission matrix (EEM) analysis demonstrated that the diversity of microorganisms decreased with increasing salinity with Proteobacteria and Bacteroidota the main phyla, revealing the synergistic effect of U. lactuca and microbes. Response surface curves showed that the conditions affecting DIN removal efficiency from high to low were salinity, density, and C/N ratio. By simulating the fluctuation of salinity and water level in the offshore estuarine environment, the efficient DIN removal was more than 60% and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration was about 8 mg L −1 with U. lactuca at salinity above 1.0% NaCl. In conclusion, this study explored the DIN removal pattern of U. lactuca in different low-salinity and high-nutrient water environments, which is of great importance for the ecological restoration of estuarine and coastal environments. | Adaptation of Ulva lactuca in low-salinity and high-nutrient water environment and its synergistic microbial effect on inorganic nitrogen removal | 10.1007/s10811-023-03121-w |
2024-02-01 | Orlando tangelo fruits, originating from tropical and subtropical regions, have demonstrated a tendency to be susceptible to chilling injury when subjected to cold storage conditions. This study investigated the effects of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) (50 µM), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) (5 mM), and MeJA (50 µM) + GABA (5 mM) on chilling injury of Orlando tangelo fruits throughout cold storage (90 days at 3 ± 0.5 °C plus 5 days at 20 °C, shelf life). The findings demonstrated that all treatments considerably decreased fruit weight loss. Although all treatments significantly decreased chilling injury, MeJA treatment resulted in the least amount of chilling injury. Malonaldehyde was also significantly lower in the treated fruits in comparison to the control. Maximum phenol and flavonoid were observed in the MeJA treatment, which was 1.47 and 1.63 times higher than the control fruit, respectively. On average, the antioxidant activity of the treatments was 1.33 times higher than that of the control. The treatments increased the activity of catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) enzymes in fruit juice and peel. Whereas, the highest activity of CAT and POD enzymes in the peel was observed in the treatments of MeJA and MeJA + GABA, respectively. Compared to other treatments, MeJA significantly increased the activity of the CAT enzyme in the fruit peel. Even though MeJA exhibited a more pronounced positive effect, the overall results indicate that both individual treatments and MeJA + GABA could be utilized to enhance the cold tolerance of Orlando tangelo fruit during extended periods of cold storage. Graphical abstract | Potential application of methyl jasmonate and γ-aminobutyric acid to preserve fruit quality and alleviate postharvest chilling in Orlando tangelo | 10.1007/s11694-023-02201-2 |
2024-02-01 | Microelectrode array has significant and diverse applications in contemporary technology. The most effective method for the precise manufacture of micro-electrode array with specific dimensions is low-speed wire electrical discharge machining (LS-WEDM) combined with workpiece rotation. Workpiece rotation results in the transformation of the machined part from a continuum to a thin-walled array of discontinuities. The change in workpiece structure influences the machining performance. This paper investigates the impact of workpiece thickness and the thin-walled array of workpieces on the discharge gap and burr of LS-WEDM for different materials (copper, copper-tungsten alloy, and pure tungsten). The results show that the discharge gap of thin-walled array depends on the distance between the top and bottom of the workpiece and the number of arrays, while the burr width of thin-walled array depends on the thickness of the individual thin-walled units. In addition, a formula for the discharge gap of a thin-walled array workpiece is given. Based on this, microelectrode array with a side length of 300 μm and a size error of less than 3 μm are prepared on three materials by compensating the machining gaps corresponding to each position, and the surface quality of microelectrode array is evaluated. This study has crucial implications for improving the dimensional accuracy of microelectrode array produced by LS-WEDM. | Experimental study on the influence of workpiece shape on discharge gap and burr in LS-WEDM and the preparation of microelectrode array with specific size | 10.1007/s00170-024-13106-9 |
2024-02-01 | Wind energy generation is continuously expanding in the global energy scenario of sustainable resources to replace fossil energy and alleviate the negative impacts on the environment. With the global attention focused on centralized generation, less attention has been paid to improving small wind turbines. As a result, small wind turbines have marginal contribution to the global energy scenarios, because of their poor performance and high cost. This review is aimed to gather methodologies and experiences in big machines and avail them for small machines. The review presents an evaluation of global expansion of wind energy followed by investigations on the blade element momentum (BEM), lifting line-based methods and other vorticity-based models, wind turbine noise, optimization of airfoils, blades and rotors, and commercial numerical codes with a special focus on small wind turbines. The main findings of the review show the necessity of more research and development efforts to improve the performance of small wind turbines and acceptability by the users, integration of the BEM with lifting line methods and other available software, more numerical and experimental real-scale studies on noise generation and its impact on the neighboring living beings, development of new optimized airfoils and blades for low Reynolds number operation and urban wind profile, and creation of computational codes for the design, micrositing, and simulation of small wind turbines. It is hoped that this review can be of help to researchers, development engineers, young scientists, and general readers interested in the topic. | Review on Small Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbines | 10.1007/s13369-023-08314-6 |
2024-02-01 | The cracking behavior of lignite during drying–wetting cycles impacts the efficiency of coal mining, underground coal gasification, and coalbed methane development. Lignite is known to have high water content, and it exhibits strong hydrophilic properties, resulting in a weak and rigid gel structure caused by water interactions with coal matrix molecules. Even at ambient temperatures, dehydration causes violent shrinkage of the lignite matrix and numerous fractures. Due to the shallow burial depth of lignite, it is often mined in open pits, and it often undergoes cycles of dehydration and rewetting in the open-air environment, resulting in significant changes to its physical structure and mechanical properties. Thus, a detailed characterization of this evolution process is necessary. In this study, lignite samples with different compositional properties were collected from the Shengli Coalfield in the Erlian Basin, and their physical structure and mechanical properties were characterized using nondestructive testing methods such as nuclear magnetic resonance, environmental scanning electron microscopy, X-ray computed tomography, and atomic force microscopy. The results provide insights into the impact of material composition on the syneresis behavior and destruction process of lignite. Upon removal of water from the coal matrix, rapid shrinkage occurs, resulting in the simultaneous formation of numerous fractures. Significant differences were observed in the contraction characteristics and fracture propagation patterns among the various lignite lithotypes. Xylite lignite exhibited the highest degree of contraction following dehydration, with the macropore reduction rate being the most significant. Matrix lignite showed a lower degree of syneresis compared to xylite lignite, while fusain-rich lignite demonstrated the weakest syneresis ability. The homogeneous xylite lignite shrinks as a whole after dehydration, and its fractures are long and straight, with good orientation. Fractures formed in the detrital humic groundmass of matrix lignite are short, convoluted, and poorly oriented. Fusain-rich lignite fractures are thin, and straight, with the best orientation. The expansion of fractures can cause geological disasters such as land subsidence, collapse, and landslides. Fusain hinders fractures’ expansion and acts as a “skeleton” to support the lignite structure. The presence of fusain is advantageous to maintaining the steadiness of the lignite. The differential evolution of the physical structure of lignite during the drying–wetting cycles, which aids to avert and mitigate disasters linked to dehydration cracking in different lignite-related engineering geological fields, is discussed in this paper. | Influence of Composition on Differential Evolution of Pore–Fracture Systems and Micro-mechanical Properties of Lignite During Drying-Wetting Cycles | 10.1007/s11053-023-10293-2 |
2024-02-01 | In this work, unipolar resistive switching (RS) is demonstrated in a Ni/p-NiO/n + -Si heterojunction device based on the formation/rupture of conducting filaments (CFs). The potential barrier of the pn heterostructure can effectively increase the device initial resistance, with the benefit of low power and multilevel RS under proper compliance currents (CCs). In addition, this difference in CF size occurs between the dielectric layer and depletion region due to the existence of a built-in electric field. As a result, the RS is localized in the p-NiO/n + -Si depletion region, increasing the degree of localization and decreasing resistance fluctuation. This work will provide a feasible approach for low-power nonvolatile multi-bit memory applications in the future. | Multilevel and Low-Power Resistive Switching Based on pn Heterojunction Memory | 10.1007/s11664-023-10906-9 |
2024-02-01 | This paper proposes an algorithm to perform the inverse design of a low-frequency acoustic absorber using a deep convolutional autoencoder network. A hybrid sound-absorber configuration based on Helmholtz resonators with inserted curvy neck and microperforated panel is suggested and its geometrical properties are inversely forecasted from the targeted signal. A mathematical model is put forwarded to evaluate the absorption characteristics of the introduced geometry by employing the effective medium theory and the electro-acoustic analogy. The large dataset required to train, validate and test the deep neural network is extracted through this analytical procedure. Initially, the proposed inverse technique is successfully applied on a standard Helmholtz resonator based absorber setup with great accuracy. This prediction approach is further extended to suit the inverse design of a hybrid sound absorber with complex geometrical attributes. The encoder maps the input acoustic absorption spectrum to geometrical features of the absorber, and the subsequent decoder recreates the absorption characteristics using convolutional layers. Once the training and testing of the neural network are over, the deep autoencoder inversely predicts the geometrical parameters. In comparison with earlier inverse models which employed deep neural networks, the accuracy of the current scheme is very high and no pre-design information on absorber geometry is required as well. Since the relevant learnable parameters involved are very low, the computational load is also very less for this autoencoder based method. Later, using the new inverse scheme, four representative absorber designs with specific acoustic functionality are deduced. Most importantly, these four compact absorber models produce quasi-perfect absorption in the frequency bands 200–315 Hz, 255–400 Hz, 300–530 Hz, and 350–650 Hz. Notably, the developed absorber versions have great potential in noise reduction applications owing to their deep sub-wavelength thickness ( $$\lambda$$ λ /23 at 200 Hz) and wide absorption spectra. | A deep autoencoder based approach for the inverse design of an acoustic-absorber | 10.1007/s00366-023-01789-9 |
2024-02-01 | Future space-based far-infrared astrophysical observatories will require exquisitely sensitive detectors consistent with the low optical backgrounds. The PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics (PRIMA) will deploy arrays of thousands of superconducting kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs) sensitive to radiation between 25 and 265 $$\mu$$ μ m. Here, we present laboratory characterization of prototype, 25–80- $$\mu$$ μ m wavelength, low-volume, aluminum KIDs designed for the low-background environment expected with PRIMA. A compact parallel plate capacitor is used to minimize the detector footprint and suppress TLS noise. A novel resonant absorber is designed to enhance response in the band of interest. We present noise and optical efficiency measurements of these detectors taken with a low-background cryostat and a cryogenic blackbody. A microlens-hybridized KID array is found to be photon noise limited down to about 50 aW with a limiting detector NEP of about $$6.5\times 10^{-19}~\text {W/Hz}^{1/2}$$ 6.5 × 10 - 19 W/Hz 1 / 2 . A fit to an NEP model shows that our optical system is well characterized and understood down to 50 aW. We discuss future plans for low-volume aluminum KID array development as well as the testbeds used for these measurements. | Parallel Plate Capacitor Aluminum KIDs for Future Far-Infrared Space-Based Observatories | 10.1007/s10909-023-03039-0 |
2024-02-01 | Metal cations have significant effects on the flotation of coal and minerals. In this study, the effects of monovalent cations (Na + and K + ) on the flotation of low-rank coal (LRC) were investigated using flotation and particle–bubble attachment experiments and through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and molecular dynamics simulations. Oleic acid (OA), methyl linoleate (ML), hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC), ricinoleic acid (RA), and kerosene were used as flotation collectors. The flotation experiments revealed that the flotation yields of LRC improved when OA, ML, RA, CTAC, and kerosene were used in pure deionized water. However, flotation was suppressed for these collectors in the presence of K + and Na + ions. In contrast, when using CTAC, the flotation yield increased in the presence of these ions. Specifically, the flotation yield increased from 41.24 to 87.03% when 2.0 kg/t CTAC was used in 10 mmol/L NaCl solution. Particle–bubble adhesion experiments and XPS revealed that the hydrophilic groups of CTAC were adsorbed on the LRC surfaces by electrostatic forces, whereas the oxygen-containing functional groups of OA, ML, and RA formed hydrogen bonds with the LRC surface in pure water. Finally, the simulating result revealed that the hydrophobic ends of the OA, ML, and RA collectors hinder the flotation of LRC by adsorbing monovalent cations, whereas the adsorption of monovalent cations on the hydrophobic end of the cationic surfactant (CTAC) promotes flotation via strong electrostatic interactions. | Effect of Sodium and Potassium Ions on the Flotation of Low-Rank Coal in the Presence of Different Collectors: A Theoretical and Experimental Study | 10.1007/s42461-024-00927-1 |
2024-02-01 | In order to achieve low refractive index detection in biomedical and material chemistry, a D-type microstructured optical fiber (MOF) sensor based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is proposed in this paper. The sensor uses gold nanofilm as sensing material between the core of the fiber and the plasma on the surface, and is coated at the open ring. Parametric analysis of the open-ring diameter, air hole diameter, and thickness of the gold nanofilm of the sensor was carried out by finite element method. The simulation results show that the sensor has a wavelength sensitivity of up to 10,900 nm/RIU, the refractive index range of 1.20–1.34, optimal resolution of 9.17 × 10 −6 RIU, and a decent figure of merit (FOM) is 46.2 RIU −1 . The proposed MOF-SPR sensor has high wavelength sensitivity and low resolution in a similar detection range compared to existing studies. The sensor is capable of detecting not only low refractive index substances, such as liquid medical oxygen with a refractive index of 1.22 and sevoflurane with a refractive index of 1.27, but also conventional refractive index substances such as water contamination with a refractive index near 1.33, providing a wide detection range. Therefore, the sensor is competitive in the detection of some low refractive index material detection fields. | A Low Refractive Index Microstructured Fiber Sensor with Wide Range Detection | 10.1007/s11468-023-01995-7 |
2024-02-01 | Understanding geochemical zoning, including major components, minor components, and trace elements, in ore deposits can significantly improve Au exploration. Therefore, in this study, we focus on the geochemical characteristics of ore and alteration zones in the largest low-sulfidation (LS) epithermal Au–Ag deposit in Thailand, namely Chatree deposit. The occurrence of metal and metalloids can be distinguished into three groups: (1) major components in ore minerals (e.g., As, Cu, Fe, Pb, Sb, and Zn), (2) trace elements in ore minerals (e.g., As, Cd, Hg, and Mn), and (3) trace elements in gangue minerals (e.g., Mn). This study suggests that the ore minerals of a shallow system of the epithermal LS deposit are enriched in As, Sb, and Hg compared to the deeper system. Hydrothermal alteration leads to enrichment of K 2 O and depletion of Na 2 O and CaO. Besides major oxides, some low-field strength elements (e.g., Rb, and Ba) show the same behavior as K 2 O, whereas Sr is similar to CaO. In addition, positive Eu anomalies are associated with hydrothermal alteration. For metals and metalloids, arsenic is an important pathfinder element because its content is associated with the electrum occurrence and significantly increases toward the ore zone. Mn, Pb, and Cd are prominent in the ore zone; whereas, Ti, Al, and Cr decrease toward the ore zone due to dilution from silicification. Furthermore, even though the concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Pb, and Ni in the ore and alteration zones are lower than Thailand's Total Threshold Limit Concentration (TTLC) for waste, the mine should still implement critical monitoring of these elements. Graphical abstract | Geochemical vectors to ore and environmental significance at the Chatree epithermal low-sulfidation deposit, Thailand | 10.1007/s00531-023-02367-6 |
2024-02-01 | Abstract The paper reports on a transmission electron microscopy analysis of the dislocation structure of normalized 09G2S steel with strain aging. The analysis shows that in a steel specimen deformed to its yield stress, the dislocation density peaks at the center of a strain localization band (in its active zone) and decreases by about an order of magnitude at its sides. The structure of these band zones, which are in different strain hardening stages, is examined and the Burgers vector of dislocations of the primary slip system is determined. The ends of such dislocations form ordered planar dipole walls, leading to polygonization by dislocation slip. Also considered is the specimen structure at the yield and ultimate stresses. | Dislocation Structure in a Strain Localization Band Formed in Normalized 09G2S Steel under Tension | 10.1134/S102995992401003X |
2024-02-01 | Objective Keshan disease (KD) is a myocardial mitochondrial disease closely related to insufficient selenium (Se) and protein intake. PTEN induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1)/Parkin mediated mitochondrial autophagy regulates various physiological and pathological processes in the body. This study aimed to elucidate the relationship between PINK1/Parkin-regulated mitochondrial autophagy and KD-related myocardial injury. Methods A low Se and low protein animal model was established. One hundred Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (control group, low Se group, low protein group, low Se + low protein group, and corn from KD area group). The JC-1 method was used to detect the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). ELISA was used to detect serum creatine kinase MB (CK-MB), cardiac troponin I (cTnI), and mitochondrial-glutamicoxalacetic transaminase (M-GOT) levels. RT-PCR and Western blot analysis were used to detect the expression of PINK1, Parkin, sequestome 1 (P62), and microtubule-associated proteins1A/1B light chain 3B (MAP1LC3B). Results The MMP was significantly decreased and the activity of CK-MB, cTnI, and M-GOT significantly increased in each experimental group (low Se group, low protein group, low Se + low protein group and corn from KD area group) compared with the control group ( P <0.05 for all). The mRNA and protein expression levels of PINK1, Parkin and MAP1LC3B were profoundly increased, and those of P62 markedly decreased in the experimental groups compared with the control group ( P <0.05 for all). Conclusion Low Se and low protein levels exacerbate myocardial damage in KD by affecting the PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitochondrial autophagy pathway. | Low Selenium and Low Protein Exacerbate Myocardial Damage in Keshan Disease by Affecting the PINK1/Parkin-mediated Mitochondrial Autophagy Pathway | 10.1007/s11596-024-2834-x |
2024-02-01 | Background Environmental exposure, medical diagnostic and therapeutic applications, and industrial utilization of radionuclides have prompted a growing focus on the risks associated with low-dose radiation (< 100 mGy). Current evidence suggests that such radiation can induce epigenetic changes. Nevertheless, whether exposure to low-dose radiation can disrupt endothelial cell function at the molecular level is unclear. Because endothelial cells play crucial roles in cardiovascular health and disease, we aimed to investigate whether low-dose radiation could lead to differential DNA methylation patterns at the genomic level in endothelial cell (EC) lines. Methods We screened for changes in DNA methylation patterns in primary human aortic (HAECs) and coronary artery endothelial cells following exposure to low-dose ionizing radiation. Using a subset of genes altered via DNA methylation by low-dose irradiation, we performed gene ontology (GO) analysis to predict the possible biological network mediating the effect of low-dose radiation. In addition, we performed comprehensive validation using methylation and gene expression analyses, and ChIP assay to identify useful biomarkers among candidate genes for use in detecting low-dose radiation exposure in human primary normal ECs. Results Low-dose radiation is sufficient to induce global DNA methylation alterations in normal EC lines. GO analysis demonstrated that these hyper- or hypo-methylated genes were linked to diverse biological pathways. Our findings indicated a robust correlation between promoter hypermethylation and transcriptional downregulation of four genes ( PGRMC1 , UNC119B , RERE , and FNDC3B ) in response to low-dose ionizing radiation in HAECs. Conclusions Based on these findings, the identified genes can serve as potential DNA methylation biomarkers for the assessment of cardiovascular risk upon exposure to low-dose radiation. | Identification of DNA methylation biomarkers for evaluating cardiovascular disease risk from epigenome profiles altered by low-dose ionizing radiation | 10.1186/s13148-024-01630-0 |
2024-02-01 | Low-carbon buildings (LCBs) are still in the early stages of development in China. The promotion and implementation of associated policies are not yet fully matured. Meanwhile, their status as public goods exacerbates the uncertainty and complexity regarding anticipated gains and potential losses. Few studies have explored the impact of perception parameters on the decision-making processes of LCBs’ stakeholders. Thus, combined with prospect theory, this paper establishes a tripartite game model composed of governments, developers, and consumers to explore their interactions and influences in different stages. Real-life scenarios are further utilized to validate the effectiveness of the model in predicting the behaviors under respective preferences. The results show that the increase in subsidy and penalty intensity instead diminishes the enthusiasm for LCBs. More specifically, the existing subsidy policies offer limited incentives to consumers. With the addition of the perception parameter, there exist differences in the sensitivity of consumers and developers towards risk levels and potential losses. The findings also highlight the importance of consumers in the LCBs market. Future policies should encourage developers and consumers to jointly promote the LCBs implementation. | Strategic interaction among stakeholders on low-carbon buildings: A tripartite evolutionary game based on prospect theory | 10.1007/s11356-023-31337-3 |
2024-02-01 | This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of low power red light (661 nm) in accelerating the wound healing process of an in vitro scratch assay model of keratinocytes. Furthermore, the study aims to clarify the role of light irradiation parameters, optimize them and gain additional insight into the mechanisms of wound closure as a result of photobiomodulation. Wound healing was studied using scratch assay model of NCTC 2544 keratinocytes. Cells were irradiated with a laser at various power densities and times. Images were acquired at 0, 24, 48 and 72 h following the laser treatment. Cellular proliferation was studied by MTT. ROS were studied at 0 and 24 h by fluorescence microscopy. Image analysis was used to determine the wound closure rates and quantify ROS. The energy range of 0.18–7.2 J/cm 2 was not phototoxic, increased cell viability and promoted wound healing. Power and irradiation time proved to be more important than energy. The results indicated the existence of two thresholds in both power and irradiation time that need to be overcome to improve wound healing. An increase in ROS production was observed at 0 h only in the group with the lowest healing rate. This early response seemed to block proliferation and finally wound healing. Low level laser light at 661 nm enhanced both proliferation and migration in keratinocytes, providing evidence that it could possibly stimulate wound healing in vivo. The observed results are dependent on irradiance and irradiation time rather than energy dose in total. | Photobiomodulation and Wound Healing: Low-Level Laser Therapy at 661 nm in a Scratch Assay Keratinocyte Model | 10.1007/s10439-023-03384-x |
2024-02-01 | Bacterial infections and resistance to antibiotics are increasingly severe problems. In recent years, Staphylococcus species have emerged as important pathogens in animals and humans. Current therapeutic methods against these species have serious disadvantages; therefore new agents with antibacterial potential, such as plant-based substances, are very important in therapy. We report a pilot study with new method of fractioning the dehydrogenate polymer DHP obtained from coniferyl alcohol and application of the low-MW fractions of 200–3000 Da for antibacterial activity in healing animal lesions. In viv o experiments were conducted on the dogs having a skin lesion. Dogs were treated with the suspension containing the low-MW DHP fractions as the active ingredient, in combination with alginate for 7 days. Cytological smears and microbiological analyses of the affected area were performed. Staphylococcus spp. was isolated from lesions in all dogs from our research. The results show that the low-MW DHP suspension in alginate promotes skin healing and reduction of the infection of the lesions in the affected animals. Pharmaceutical composition containing the low-MW DHP fractions exerts a soothing effect on the subject in wound treatment. Reduction in the number of bacteria by 30% and more were noticed in 6 dogs, while in 4 dogs this percentage is above 50%. No side effects were noticed. Synthesized lignin oligomers may have a significant place as antimicrobial and skin healing agents, especially since an increasing number of multidrug-resistant staphylococci are found on the skin lesions in animals. | Therapeutic potential of low-molecular weight lignin model polymer fractions for treating skin lesions in animals: a pilot study | 10.1007/s11259-023-10224-9 |
2024-02-01 | At the present time, right ventricular function in patients with aortic stenosis is insufficiently taken into account in the decision-making process of aortic valve replacement. The aim of our study was to evaluate significance of right ventricular dysfunction in patients with severe aortic stenosis by modern 3D echocardiographic methods. This is prospective analysis of 68 patients with severe high and low-gradient aortic stenosis. We evaluated function of left and right ventricle on the basis of 3D reconstruction. Enddiastolic, endsystolic volumes, ejection fraction and stroke volumes of both chambers were assessed. There were more patients with right ventricular dysfunction in low-gradient group (RVEF < 45%) than in the high-gradient group (63.6% vs 39%, p = 0.02). Low-gradient patients had worse right ventricular function than high-gradient patients (RVEF 36% vs 46%, p = 0.02). There wasn’t any significant correlation between the right ventricular dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension (r = − 0.25, p = 0.036). There was significant correlation between left and right ejection fraction (r = 0.78, p < 0.0001). Multiple regression analysis revealed that the only predictor of right ventricular function is the left ventricular function. According to our results we can state that right ventricular dysfunction is more common in patients with low-gradient than in high-gradient aortic stenosis and the only predictor of right ventricular dysfunction is left ventricular dysfunction, probably based on ventriculo-ventricular interaction. Pulmonary hypertension in patients with severe AS does not predict right ventricular dysfunction. | Aortic stenosis and right ventricular dysfunction | 10.1007/s10554-023-02986-9 |
2024-02-01 | This paper introduces a novel methodology for estimating carbon total factor productivity based on the Cobb–Douglas production function. The research method introduced in this article expands upon the framework for assessing total factor productivity through the Solow residual method. It unifies the conceptual and methodological aspects of carbon total factor productivity with those of single factor productivity. Utilizing panel data from various provinces between 2010 and 2021, we computed carbon total factor productivity to understand its implications for China in combating global climate change. We demonstrate that (i) we have introduced a method to handle negative coefficients in the Cobb–Douglas production function by incorporating productivity in lieu of input factors during calculations. (ii) Carbon total factor productivity, encapsulating the geometric weighted mean of labor, capital, and carbon productivity, holds notable economic relevance. Further, it serves as an integrative metric comprising carbon productivity intertwined with the mean labor and capital carbon factors. And (iii) the influence of carbon total factor productivity growth on economic progression remains relatively subdued, with escalating labor force growth posing detrimental effects on several provincial economies. Enhancing carbon total factor productivity emerges as an imperative to harmonize robust economic growth with strategic carbon curtailment. Our analytical framework provides nuanced perspectives on productivity determinants, accentuating the thrust towards sustainable evolution amidst climatic challenges. This investigation bears profound significance for policymakers endeavoring to sculpt a carbon-conscious economic paradigm in consonance with global climatic ambitions. | Evaluating the carbon total factor productivity of China: based on Cobb–Douglas production function | 10.1007/s11356-024-32070-1 |
2024-02-01 | Peas ( Pisum sativum L.) have a potential commercial value because of their high protein content, non-GMO status, low allergenicity. This study examined changes in the digestion and absorption properties of enzyme-modified and fermented pea protein (EFPP) produced through enzymatic treatment of pea protein and fermentation with lactic acid bacteria. EFPP was digested 22.50% more than isolated pea protein (IPP) during the first 15 min in vitro digestion model. Based on the Caco-2 cell monolayer model, EFPP showed 38.40% higher bioavailability than IPP. Gel Permeation Chromatography showed that the average molecular weight of EFPP was 98.79% lower than that of IPP. The secondary structure of protein was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and it showed a 53.92% reduction in β-sheet of EFPP than IPP. These results indicate that enzyme treatment and fermentation of pea protein reduced the molecular weight, modified the secondary structure, and improved digestibility and bioavailability. | Improved digestibility and bioavailability of pea protein following enzymatic treatment and fermentation by lactic acid bacteria | 10.1007/s10068-023-01335-9 |
2024-02-01 | As freshwater resources are becoming scarce, the use of seawater as replacement of fresh water is appealing in order to make mineral processing operations more sustainable. Since froth stability plays a critical role in determining the performance of flotation operations, there is an urgent need to study the effect of frother dosage and seawater on froth stability. In this study, flotation tests in seawater were conducted to examine the effect of frother’s dosage (MIBC) on the froth stability and flotation performance of low-grade phosphate ore. The stability of the froth layer was assessed by measuring the froth growth velocity and the froth maximum height at equilibrium. Results indicated that the best flotation performance was obtained at 75 g/ton of MIBC where ~ 90% of phosphate minerals were recovered. At this recovery value, the concentrate grade was determined to be ~ 70%. Results from froth stability experiments showed that the stability of the froth layer increased by increasing MIBC dosage. At MIBC dosage of 75g/ton, the calculated values of dynamic froth stability and the froth height were ~ 0.4 cm/sec and 16 cm, respectively. | The Effect of Methyl Isobutyl Carbinol “MIBC” on the Froth Stability and Flotation Performance of Low-Grade Phosphate Ore | 10.1007/s42461-024-00919-1 |
2024-02-01 | Develop a signal quality index (SQI) for the widely available peripheral venous pressure waveform (PVP). We focus on the quality of the cardiac component in PVP. We model PVP by the adaptive non-harmonic model. When the cardiac component in PVP is stronger, the PVP is defined to have a higher quality. This signal quality is quantified by applying the synchrosqueezing transform to decompose the cardiac component out of PVP, and the SQI is defined as a value between 0 and 1. A database collected during the lower body negative pressure experiment is utilized to validate the developed SQI. All signals are labeled into categories of low and high qualities by experts. A support vector machine (SVM) learning model is trained for practical purpose. The developed signal quality index coincide with human experts’ labels with the area under the curve 0.95. In a leave-one-subject-out cross validation (LOSOCV), the SQI achieves accuracy 0.89 and F1 0.88, which is consistently higher than other commonly used signal qualities, including entropy, power and mean venous pressure. The trained SVM model trained with SQI, entropy, power and mean venous pressure could achieve an accuracy 0.92 and F1 0.91 under LOSOCV. An exterior validation of SQI achieves accuracy 0.87 and F1 0.92; an exterior validation of the SVM model achieves accuracy 0.95 and F1 0.96. The developed SQI has a convincing potential to help identify high quality PVP segments for further hemodynamic study. This is the first work aiming to quantify the signal quality of the widely applied PVP waveform. | Signal quality assessment of peripheral venous pressure | 10.1007/s10877-023-01071-9 |
2024-02-01 | Evaluating the effect of low-carbon city pilot (LCCP) policy is of vital importance for urban ecological construction. This study aims to deeply explore the effect of LCCP policy on urban air pollutant PM 2.5 . Using China’s prefecture-level panel data during 2004–2020, this research adopts the difference-in-difference model to evaluate the effect of LCCP policy on urban PM 2.5 and considers the heterogeneity of policy effect from the perspective of urban resource endowment and industrial characteristics. Also, this study analyzes mechanism affecting urban PM 2.5 by mediation effect model. In addition, this paper explores the spatial spillover effect of the LCCP policy. The results indicate that the LCCP policy has significantly reduced urban PM 2.5 . The heterogeneity analysis shows that the effect of LCCP policy in declining resource-based cities is the largest, followed by regenerated resource-based cities and non-resource-based cities. The effect of LCCP policy on PM 2.5 in non-old industrial-based cities is greater than that in old industrial-based cities. The impact mechanism analysis indicates that the effect of LCCP policy could be achieved through promoting technological innovation, public transportation, and industrial agglomeration. The LCCP policy has reduced the PM 2.5 of neighboring pilot cities, but it has insignificant effect on neighboring non-pilot cities. | Evaluating the effect of low-carbon city pilot policy on urban PM2.5: evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China | 10.1007/s10668-023-02906-w |
2024-01-31 | Background This study explores the effectiveness of Photobiomodulation Therapy (PBMT) in enhancing orthodontic tooth movement (OTM), osteogenesis, and angiogenesis through a comprehensive series of in vitro and in vivo investigations. The in vitro experiments involved co-culturing MC3T3-E1 and HUVEC cells to assess PBMT’s impact on cell proliferation, osteogenesis, angiogenesis, and associated gene expression. Simultaneously, an in vivo experiment utilized an OTM rat model subjected to laser irradiation at specific energy densities. Methods In vitro experiments involved co-culturing MC3T3-E1 and HUVEC cells treated with PBMT, enabling a comprehensive assessment of cell proliferation, osteogenesis, angiogenesis, and gene expression. In vivo, an OTM rat model was subjected to laser irradiation at specified energy densities. Statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the significance of observed differences. Results The results revealed a significant increase in blood vessel formation and new bone generation within the PBMT-treated group compared to the control group. In vitro, PBMT demonstrated positive effects on cell proliferation, osteogenesis, angiogenesis, and gene expression in the co-culture model. In vivo, laser irradiation at specific energy densities significantly enhanced OTM, angiogenesis, and osteogenesis. Conclusions This study highlights the substantial potential of PBMT in improving post-orthodontic bone quality. The observed enhancements in angiogenesis and osteogenesis suggest a pivotal role for PBMT in optimizing treatment outcomes in orthodontic practices. The findings position PBMT as a promising therapeutic intervention that could be seamlessly integrated into orthodontic protocols, offering a novel dimension to enhance overall treatment efficacy. Beyond the laboratory, these results suggest practical significance for PBMT in clinical scenarios, emphasizing its potential to contribute to the advancement of orthodontic treatments. Further exploration of PBMT in orthodontic practices is warranted to unlock its full therapeutic potential. | Photobiomodulation therapy’s impact on angiogenesis and osteogenesis in orthodontic tooth movement: in vitro and in vivo study | 10.1186/s12903-023-03824-z |
2024-01-31 | Increasing the adoption of energy-efficiency measures (EEM) by households is one of the practical strategies to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For the 3.24 million low-income households in Australia, partly due to their potentially disproportionately large waste of usable energy, there is a gap between the potential for energy efficiency through existing EEM and the actual energy-efficiency level. Many measures increase energy efficiency in buildings; however, barriers persist for such households to adopt these measures, of which limited research has yet to be conducted. In response, this study examines the relationships involved by a questionnaire survey of 212 low-income households in Australia, showing that financial barriers have the greatest influence followed by split incentive barriers, with the provision of information having no significant role to play. This paper contributes to filling the gap of limited energy-efficiency research involving low-income households, revealing the effect of energy-efficiency barriers on their adoption of EEM. | Adoption of energy-efficiency measures by Australian low-income households | 10.1007/s10901-023-10104-3 |
2024-01-30 | Triple shape memory materials currently have a wide range of applications in aerospace and healthcare. In this study, Organic clay (OC) was introduced as a reinforcing phase in trans-isoprene (TPI) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) matrix. TPI/LDPE/OC shape memory composites (SMP) were prepared by melt blending and vulcanized and pressed using dynamic vulcanization technique. In order to reveal the effect of OC content on the mechanical and shape memory properties of TPI/LDPE/OC composites, a series of experiments were conducted. The results show that the optimum vulcanization time of the composites decreases linearly with increasing OC content. The torque difference of the composites is maximized when OC is added at 2 phr, which indicates that the cross-linking degree of the composites is optimal at this time; In addition, with the increase of OC content, the mechanical properties, crystallization properties and shape memory properties of the composites first increase and then decrease. This is due to the fact that OC can form a stable and homogeneous interlayer structure with the composite matrix in the appropriate amount, which will play a role in enhancing the properties, but when OC is added in excess, agglomeration occurs within the composite matrix, thus reducing the properties; The crosslinking degree, tensile strength, crystallinity and triple shape memory properties of the composites were optimized when the OC content was 2 phr. This study provides potential value for research on the application of multiple shape memory materials. | The shape memory performance of the dynamically vulcanized TPV nanocomposites of trans-isoprene/ low-density polyethylene and organoclay | 10.1007/s10965-024-03893-w |
2024-01-30 | Vertical Nanosheet Transistors serves as a potential substitute for the Nanowire and FinFET architecture at advanced technology nodes on account of higher drive current and superior control of short channel effects. In this article, a novel analysis of various stacked high-K dielectrics in n-type Vertical C-shaped Silicon Channel Nanosheet Field Effect Transistor (nVCNFET) is implemented. In-depth analysis is done on the effects of stacked high-K dielectrics on nVCNFET device performance and short channel effects. The nVCNFET with optimized gate oxide stack of Al 2 O 3 -TiO 2 exhibits a remarkable current ratio of 3.2 × 10 16 , which is 10 7 times efficient over the reported Vertical Nanosheet FETs (NSFET) up to date. The Device performance and scaling compatibility of nVCNFET for sub-10 nm and 5 nm technology nodes are demonstrated to certify the device’s reliability. On the contrary, the proposed nVCNFET maintains ideal Subthreshold Swing (< 60 mV/decade) and yields 60% lesser DIBL value (8 mV/V) over the other Silicon-NSFETs. This concludes nVCNFET, a befitting candidate for low power and Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) applications. | A new Vertical C-shaped Silicon Channel Nanosheet FET with Stacked High-K Dielectrics for Low Power Applications | 10.1007/s12633-024-02871-7 |
2024-01-30 | Preventing urban regions from seismic wave destruction is of paramount significance because it is closely related to urban lifeline and prosperity of cities. Almost all conventional seismic resistance approaches rely on the stiffness and strength of buildings, which require excessive structural components with additional self-weights. In this study, we propose a pine-like seismic metamaterial for efficient attenuation of surface Rayleigh waves. The pine arrays in suburban regions demonstrate an ability to convert Rayleigh waves to shear bulk waves or attenuate waves on the surface via local resonation. This property originates from a gradient design of pine arrays, where a scale ratio is defined to tune the geometric properties of each pine unit. Specifically, a gradient pine array with a scale ratio smaller than one can interact with the Rayleigh waves and convert them to shear waves that propagate deep to underground. The transmission ratio of the entire system indicates a broadband wave attenuation at subwavelength scale. It reveals that the pine is able to couple with a certain elastic Rayleigh wave whose wavelength is much larger than the lattice constant, which is rarely achieved in any conventional civil engineering structures such as open trench barriers and filled trench barriers. Additionally, a numerical model of an urban region and suburban pine array is established and analyzed. Infrastructures and structures in a city that suffer direct Rayleigh wave interference run into a high risk of structural destruction as compared to urban structures protected with suburban metamaterial pine arrays. Finally, two real earthquake wave signals are used to validate the efficiency of the pine arrays in dissipating earthquake energy. The approach in this paper can be extended to deal with more complex naturally available structures for examining the elastic wave attenuation abilities of these novel structures. | Pine-like elastic metamaterials for urban seismic Rayleigh wave attenuation | 10.1007/s44285-024-00012-5 |
2024-01-29 | Membrane (ion membrane) electrolysis technology has gained a lot of attention and development because of its function and advantage of making full use of the two-stage reaction and separating the products of the two poles. In particular, the membrane electrolysis industry has a great potential to grow in the context of the transformation from “carbon-driven” to “electrically driven.” There are many systems that require membrane or ion membrane electrolysis. Typical ones are electrolytic water to hydrogen, chlor-alkali, electrodialysis, electrometallurgy, etc. In this paper, several typical membrane (ion membrane) electrolysis scenarios are selected and analyzed in detail with respect to their principles, development history, characteristics, problems faced, and development prospects. A theoretical basis is laid for the development and application of efficient industrialized membrane electrolysis technology, which will be beneficial to the technological progress in this field. | Research progress of industrial application of membrane electrolysis technology | 10.1007/s11581-024-05395-7 |
2024-01-29 | In India, about 80% of the potato crop is grown during winter season and thus it often gets exposed to low temperatures which adversely affect its growth and lead to heavy reductions in tuber yield (approximately 40–60%). Overall aim of this study was to generate frost tolerant potato clones through intervarietal hybridization. In the summer 2018, the segregating progenies were developed through hybridization between J-2/19 (frost tolerant) and MS/7-645 (high yielding). In F 1 C 1 generation, the characterization of 168 potato clones was carried out on the basis of leaf morpho-anatomical (LMA) traits viz ., stomatal and trichome density on adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces, stomatal index and palisade thickness. Seventy-six clones possessing LMA traits associated with frost tolerance were exposed to low temperature and their tolerance behaviour was further confirmed through electrolyte leakage in F 1 C 2 generation. The potato clones exhibited a large and significant variability for both the leaf morpho-anatomical traits and electrolyte leakage. The hierarchical clustering analysis distributed the 168 potato clones into 13 cluster groups based on their proximate composition in twelve LMA traits. Moreover, the electrolyte leakage exhibited a negative correlation with stomatal index (−0.43) and stomatal density on adaxial leaf surface (−0.36). Overall, 11 potential clones exhibiting frost tolerant characteristics with desirable horticultural traits were identified and these were recommended for further evaluation. Thus, LMA traits, particularly stomatal index can potentially be used for preliminary screening of potato genetic resources for frost tolerance in breeding programmes specifically during the non-frost years. | Characterization of a segregating potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) population for frost tolerance by leaf morpho-anatomy analysis and horticultural traits in India | 10.1007/s10722-023-01839-7 |
2024-01-29 | Plastic waste can exist naturally for hundreds of thousands of years and harm humans, animals, and the environment. In this study, the energy and exergy performances (absorbed energy, energy efficiency, absorbed exergy, and exergy efficiency) of LDPE (low-density polyethylene) plastic particles assisted by microwave heating based on the experimental data as affected by microwave power, feeding load, and chamber volume were evaluated and analyzed. The results showed that as the microwave power raised from 500 to 900 W, the feeding load changed from 10 to 30 g, and the chamber volume decreased from 200 to 100 ml, (a) the absorbed energy at the heating time of 60 min increased from 19.73 kJ, 5.84 kJ, and 22.71 kJ to 37.69 kJ; (b) the energy efficiency for the whole heating process increased from 1.10%, 0.32%, and 1.26% to 2.09%; (c) the absorbed exergy at the heating time of 60 min increased from 0.308, 0.091, and 0.091 to 0.724 kJ; and (d) the exergy efficiency for the whole heating process increased from 0.017, 0.005, and 0.023 to 0.040%, respectively. | Energy and exergy performances of low-density polyethylene plastic particles assisted by microwave heating | 10.1007/s11356-024-31980-4 |
2024-01-29 | Microalgae are regarded as a promising source of renewable energy and high-value compounds. To date most large-scale microalgae cultivation is located in hot low-latitude regions; however, high temperature and high solar intensity create a risk of overheating during summer days. Here we explore the option of microalgae cultivation in low temperature regions. The impact of low temperature on microalgae growth is rarely considered in studied species and strains. To assess the optimum temperature and to test the ability to grow in low temperatures, we tested the effect of environmental temperatures ranging from 8 to 32 °C on the growth of the green microalga Chlorella vulgaris 211/11j. This strain was selected as a candidate strain for outdoor cultivation after an extensive literature review. The results indicate that C. vulgaris 211/11j has a lower optimal growth temperature than some other strains of C. vulgaris and exhibits optimal growth over a wide temperature range from 20 to 28 °C. Moreover, we demonstrate that the strain can grow successfully at low environmental temperatures that are below the optimum of this strain. Therefore, we suggest C. vulgaris 211/11j as a potential strain for cultivation in outdoor open ponds exposed to changing environmental temperatures in cooler climate regions. | Microalga Chlorella vulgaris 211/11j as a promising strain for low temperature climate | 10.1007/s10811-024-03192-3 |
2024-01-29 | Spacecraft materials play a crucial role in safeguarding satellites from space’s harsh conditions. However, exposure to solar radiation and aggressive chemical species in the upper atmosphere alters these materials’ physical, chemical, and optical properties over time. Understanding material evolution during a mission enhances spacecraft reliability. By establishing correlations between on-orbit material performance and laboratory-based tests, accurate predictions can be made through accelerated space weather experiments. This study evaluates the effects of radiation on various modern spacecraft materials, specifically high-energy electrons, atomic oxygen, and vacuum ultraviolet radiation, in a ground-based simulated LEO environment. The focus is on assessing the impact on the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function properties. | Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) Measurement of Materials Aged Under Simulated Space Environment | 10.1007/s40295-023-00429-0 |
2024-01-29 | MPCF@VG@SiNDs/C, constructed by uniformly dispersing amorphous Si nanodots in carbon nanospheres that are welded on the wall of the macroporous carbon frameworks by vertical graphene, is synthesized and has achieved a few kilogram production per batch. Finite element imitation reveals that amorphous Si nanodots with high dispersity in carbon nanosphere can achieve ultra-low stress and strain values during lithiation. Unique low-strain property and fast-charging capability are achieved under industrial electrode conditions. Fabricating low-strain and fast-charging silicon-carbon composite anodes is highly desired but remains a huge challenge for lithium-ion batteries. Herein, we report a unique silicon-carbon composite fabricated by uniformly dispersing amorphous Si nanodots (SiNDs) in carbon nanospheres (SiNDs/C) that are welded on the wall of the macroporous carbon framework (MPCF) by vertical graphene (VG), labeled as MPCF@VG@SiNDs/C. The high dispersity and amorphous features of ultrasmall SiNDs (~ 0.7 nm), the flexible and directed electron/Li + transport channels of VG, and the MPCF impart the MPCF@VG@SiNDs/C more lithium storage sites, rapid Li + transport path, and unique low-strain property during Li + storage. Consequently, the MPCF@VG@SiNDs/C exhibits high cycle stability (1301.4 mAh g −1 at 1 A g −1 after 1000 cycles without apparent decay) and high rate capacity (910.3 mAh g −1 , 20 A g −1 ) in half cells based on industrial electrode standards. The assembled pouch full cell delivers a high energy density (1694.0 Wh L −1 ; 602.8 Wh kg −1 ) and an excellent fast-charging capability (498.5 Wh kg −1 , charging for 16.8 min at 3 C). This study opens new possibilities for preparing advanced silicon-carbon composite anodes for practical applications. | Macroporous Directed and Interconnected Carbon Architectures Endow Amorphous Silicon Nanodots as Low-Strain and Fast-Charging Anode for Lithium-Ion Batteries | 10.1007/s40820-023-01308-x |
2024-01-29 | The abuse of herbicides has emerged as a great threat to food security. Herein, a low-background interference detection method based on UPLC-MS was developed for the simultaneous determination of glufosinate, glyphosate, and its metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) in foods. Initially, this study proposed a simple and rapid pretreatment method, utilizing water extraction and PRiME HLB purification to isolate glyphosate, glufosinate, and AMPA from food samples. After the optimization of pretreatment conditions, the processed samples are then analyzed directly by ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) without pre-column derivatization. The method can effectively reduce interference from by-products of pre-column derivatization and background substrates of food sample, showing low matrix effects (ME) ranging from − 24.83 to 32.10%. Subsequently, the method has been validated by 13 kinds of food samples. The recoveries of the three herbicides in the food samples range from 84.2 to 115.6%. The limit of detection (LOD) is lower to 0.073 mg/kg, 0.017 mg/kg, and 0.037 mg/kg, respectively. Moreover, the method shows an excellent reproducibility with relative standard deviations (RSD) within 16.9%. Thus, the method can provide high trueness, reproducibility, sensitivity, and interference-free detection to ensure human health safety. Graphical Abstract Low-background interference detection of glyphosate, glufosinate and AMPA in foods based on UPLC-MS without derivatization | Low-background interference detection of glyphosate, glufosinate, and AMPA in foods using UPLC-MS/MS without derivatization | 10.1007/s00216-024-05158-3 |
2024-01-29 | The aim of this prospective observational study was to evaluate the efficacy of a cycle of sulfate-arsenical-ferruginous mud bath therapy on pain, function, and sleep quality in patients with chronic low-back pain (CLBP). One hundred twenty-three patients treated at Levico Spa Center (Italy) with 12 daily local mud packs and generalized thermal baths were included in this experience. General medical assessments were performed before starting the therapy, at the end of the treatment, and 3 months later. Pain intensity and stiffness were measured by a 0 to 10 cm visual analogue scale (VAS); the range of mobility of the lumbar spine was evaluated using the Schober test and functional disability by the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDI). The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess the sleep quality. The VAS score for pain and stiffness showed a significant reduction ( p < 0.0001) at the end of the treatment persisting for 3 months of follow-up. Similarly, a significant improvement was found for the Schober test and RMDQ. Finally, we showed a significant decrease of PSQI score at the end of the cycle of mud bath and at 3 months of follow-up. The Spearman analysis showed a significant positive correlation between the score of PSQI and VAS pain, VAS stiffness, and RMDQ. In conclusion, this preliminary study confirms the beneficial and long-term efficacy of balneotherapy on pain and function and, for the first one, shows the positive effect on quality of sleep in patients with CLBP treated with a cycle of mud bath therapy. | Efficacy of balneotherapy on pain, function, and sleep quality in patients with chronic low-back pain: a prospective observational study | 10.1007/s00484-024-02626-4 |
2024-01-29 | Purpose of Review Health fairs could increase screening uptake and ultimately contribute to reducing inequalities in cancer outcomes between low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) and developed countries. Reviews on this topic have been limited to health fairs in the USA. In this paper, we review the scientific literature for evidence that support health fairs as a strategy to improve cancer prevention. Recent Findings Studies across the USA consistently reported that health fairs were effective in providing cancer education and screening tests to historically marginalized groups. The studies reviewed were mostly observational and rarely reported data on health outcomes following the health fair. Nigeria, Honduras, Kenya and Uganda were the only countries outside of the USA identified from our review. Compared to the USA, these LMICs showed greater emphasis for promoting screening in the general population and self-administered cervical cancer screening. Summary Although the quality of scientific evidence is not convincing, health fairs appear to accelerate cancer prevention in historically marginalised groups. More robust research is needed to examine the role of health fairs in cancer prevention in LMICs; particularly, in small islands. | Community Health Fairs and Cancer Prevention in Low-Resource Settings: A Global Perspective | 10.1007/s40471-024-00345-3 |
2024-01-28 | A large amount of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, are released during the production process of bioethanol and biogas. Converting CO 2 into methane is a promising way of capturing CO 2 and generating high-value gas. At present, CO 2 methanation technology is still in the early stage. It requires high temperature (300–400 ℃) and pressure (> 1 MPa), leading to high cost and energy consumption. In this study, a new catalyst, Ni–Fe/Al–Ti, was developed. Compared with the activity of the common Ni/Al 2 O 3 catalyst, that of the new catalyst was increased by 1/3, and its activation temperature was reduced by 100℃. The selectivity of methane was increased to 99%. In the experiment using simulated fermentation gas, the catalyst showed good catalytic activity and durability at a low temperature and atmospheric pressure. Based on the characterization of catalysts and the study of reaction mechanisms, this article innovatively proposed a Ni–Fe/Al–Ti quaternary catalytic system. Catalytic process was realized through the synergism of Al–Ti composite support and Ni–Fe promotion. The oxygen vacancies on the surface of the composite carrier and the higher activity metals and alloys promoted by Fe accelerate the capture and reduction of CO 2 . Compared with the existing catalysts, the new Ni–Fe/Al–Ti catalyst can significantly improve the methanation efficiency and has great practical application potential. | Low-temperature methanation of fermentation gas with Ni-based catalysts in a multicomponent system | 10.1186/s13068-023-02455-4 |
2024-01-28 | Printed electronics is experiencing tremendous growth in applications and industry interest worldwide. One of the most frequently raised problems is the high curing temperature of commercially available conductive composites. This study describes the process of developing a customized low-temperature silver-based, conductive ink dedicated to the flexographic-printing technique. The formulation was optimized through a series of tests including printing trials, resistance measurements, evaluation of printed samples surface features, and mechanical properties. The appropriate ink viscosity, substrate compatibility, and sinterability at low temperatures were achieved. The dependence of the achieved conductivity on the type of raw materials used was also witnessed and described. The conductivity of the printed inks was evaluated for various polymer vehicles. Samples printed on flexible PET and paper substrates were thoroughly investigated; ink adhesion, scratch resistance, and performance after cyclic bending have been assessed. Graphical abstract | Low-temperature silver-based ink for highly conductive paths through industrial printing processes suitable for thermally sensitive substrates and beyond | 10.1557/s43578-023-01223-2 |
2024-01-28 | Natural-based chemicals from microalgae such as lipids and pigments are the interests in industries and the bioeconomy. Cold-adapted Ankistrodesmus sp. OR119838, an isolated strain from Cheshmeh–Sabz Lake in northeastern Iran, was cultivated using a two-stage culture strategy under different environmental conditions. With doubling the nitrate concentration at the vegetative stage (170 mg/L) and increasing the light intensity (180 µmol photons/m 2 /s) the highest specific growth rate (0.61 ± 0.02 per day) and biomass productivity (121.1 ± 7.2 mg/L/day) were observed at 25 °C. In the optimal growth condition Chl a and Chl b contents of Ankistrodesmus sp. OR119838 reached the highest amount (11.07 ± 0.14 and 11.23 ± 0.29 µg/mL, respectively) at 25 °C. While carotenoid content correlated negatively with optimum biomass productivity (− 0.708) and had the best value (12.23 ± 0.29 µg/mL) in nitrogen deficiency (42 mg/L) and intense light conditions (180 µmol photons/m 2 /s) at 15 °C. Lipid content was increased with declined nitrate concentration (42 mg/L), high light intensity, and 180 µmol photons/m 2 /s at 25 °C. The highest percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids (71.94%) and α-linolenic acid (57.73 ± 6.63%) was observed in conditions with 170 mg/L nitrate concentration and low light intensity (40 µmol photons/m 2 / s) at the low temperature (15 °C). While saturated fatty acids content (43.27%) and palmitic acid reached the highest amount under 40 µmol photons/m 2 /s, 42 mg/L nitrate at 25 °C (35.02 ± 5.33%). Biomass productivity of Ankistrodesmus sp. OR119838, as a cold-adapted strain, decreased by only 8.2% with a 10-degree decline in temperature. Therefore, this strain has good potential to grow in open ponds by tolerating the daily temperature fluctuations. | A new isolate cold-adapted Ankistrodesmus sp. OR119838: influence of light, temperature, and nitrogen concentration on growth characteristics and biochemical composition using the two-stage cultivation strategy | 10.1007/s00449-023-02964-4 |
2024-01-28 | To optimize operating conditions and the selection of pesticides suitable for spraying from UAVs, we evaluated the coverage of sprayed droplets in the range of 0.001–100% coverage by constructing an indoor spraying device. With the device, the coverage rate decreased with the horizontal distance from the nozzle, and the complementary log–log transformed value of the coverage was approximated by a quadratic function of the distance. The natural logarithm of the deposited pesticide amount could be linearly expressed by the complementary log–log transformed value of the coverage. Different probit regression equations were obtained between the coverage rate of sprayed droplets and egg mortality of Panonychus citri due to four acaricides: spiromesifen, etoxazole, milbemectin, and acynonapyr. From the probit regressions, conventional spraying achieved 90% egg mortality with 150 mg/L spiromesifen (19–23% coverage rate), 50 mg/L etoxazole (14%), 10 mg/L milbemectin (98%), and 67 mg/L acynonapyr (92%). Ultra-low-volume concentrate spraying for UAVs achieved the same with 15,000 mg/L spiromesifen (0.017%), 5000 mg/L etoxazole (1.116%), 1000 mg/L milbemectin (1.339%), and 6667 mg/L acynonapyr (8.868%). | Efficacy evaluation of low-volume concentrate application of pesticides by unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) using an indoor spraying device | 10.1007/s13355-023-00858-1 |
2024-01-28 | Far-infrared (far-IR) astrophysics missions featuring actively cooled telescopes will offer orders of magnitude observing speed improvement at wavelengths where galaxies and forming planetary systems emit most of their light. The PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics (PRIMA), which is currently under study, emphasizes low- and moderate-resolution spectroscopy throughout the far-IR. Full utilization of PRIMA’s cold telescope requires far-IR detector arrays with per-pixel noise equivalent powers (NEPs) at or below $$1\times 10^{-19}\;\textrm{W}/\sqrt{\textrm{Hz}}$$ 1 × 10 - 19 W / Hz . We are developing low-volume aluminum kinetic inductance detector (KID) arrays to reach these sensitivities. We describe the development of our long-wavelength (80–265 $$\mu \textrm{m}$$ μ m ) array approach and present multitone measurements of a 1008-pixel arrays. We measure an NEP below $$1\times 10^{-19}\;\textrm{W}/\sqrt{\textrm{Hz}}$$ 1 × 10 - 19 W / Hz for 73% of the measured pixels. | High-Sensitivity Kinetic Inductance Detector Arrays for the PRobe Far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics | 10.1007/s10909-023-03041-6 |
2024-01-27 | Hybrid deflagration/auto-ignition flame structures coexist in the combustion of advanced engines. Decoupling exergy destruction caused by different irreversible processes under varied flame regimes is thus important for understanding engine thermodynamics. In this study, the flame propagation modes for the premixed DME/air mixtures are numerically investigated under engine-relevant conditions. Local entropy generation and exergy destruction characteristics are compared under different flame structures. Results reveal that as the typical premixed flame transition towards auto-ignition front, the exergy destruction from heat conduction and species mass diffusion gradually vanish and are dominated by chemical reaction. The distributions of temperature and species mole fraction in the flame domain are analyzed to clarify the exergy destruction behaviors caused by heat conduction and mass diffusion. Furthermore, by dividing the DME oxidation process into four stages, the main reaction channels that contribute to the increase in exergy destruction from chemical reaction have been identified. It is found that the production and consumption of CH 2 O and HȮ 2 radical dominate the exergy destruction behavior during DME oxidation. On this basis, the kinetic mechanism of low-temperature chemistry causing greater exergy destruction is elucidated. Specifically, low-temperature chemistry leads to significant exergy destruction due to (a) the large irreversibility of itself and (b) (mainly) the enhancement of H 2 O 2 loop reactions by low-temperature reaction intermediates. Thus the reduction of combustion irreversibility is promising to be achieved by reasonably regulating the fuel oxidation path. | Laminar Flame Structure-Dependent Exergy Destruction Behavior at Auto-Ignition Time Scale: A Case Study of Dimethyl Ether (DME) | 10.1007/s11630-024-1924-1 |
2024-01-27 | The unclear contraction behavior of Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloy during low-pressure sand casting bring obstructs into the dimensional control in the fabrication of large and complex parts, restricting the further engineering applications of this alloy. This paper investigated the rule for free and constrained contraction of typical Mg-Gd-Y-Zr (Mg-9Gd-3Y-0.5Zr, VW93K) alloy during low-pressure sand casting. A series of castings with different volumes and geometric structures were designed and a 3D scanner was employed to measure different types of dimensions, which were then used for the calculation of contraction coefficients. The convergent value of free contraction coefficients was derived through statistical analysis, and the correlation between constrained contraction coefficients and geometric characteristics of castings was established by the utilizing of core volume factor. In the condition of low-pressure casting, free contraction coefficients of VW93 alloy are concentrated around a fixed value of 1.72%, constrained contraction coefficients of VW93 alloy show a decreasing linear tendency against core volume factor, and pouring pressure makes effects on free contraction. The experimental results and proposed formulas provide guidance for accurate dimensional control in fabrication of large and complex Mg-RE alloy parts by low-pressure sand casting. | On the Dimension Contraction of Low-Pressure Sand Cast Mg-Gd-Y-Zr Alloy | 10.1007/s40962-023-01254-9 |
2024-01-26 | This study was aimed at evaluating the effects of light-emitting diode (LED) (blue, green, red, and white) on carotenoid and lipid production by Rhodotorula mucilaginosa CCT 7688. Results showed that LED at 50 µmol m −2 s −1 enhanced carotenoid production in all colors under study, by comparison with the control (1794.21 µg L −1 ). However, both green (3473.00 µg L −1 ) and red (3497.76 µg L −1 ) stood out in the production since there was increase of 93.5 and 94.9%, respectively. β-Carotene and astaxanthin were found to be the major carotenoids. However, at intensity of 100 µmol m −2 s −1 , there was decrease (green 1377.0 µg L −1 ; red 826.86 µg L −1 ). In lipid production, there was no significant change when 50 µmol m −2 s −1 was used. The yeast exhibited distinct behavior towards the LED; i.e., carotenogenic production was notably more accentuated, a fact that shows that adequate illumination is an effective strategy to increase carotenoid production. In this sense, it is concluded that the intensity of light and colors applied to microbial cultivation is extremely important, as it affects the metabolism of yeasts, leading to an increase in the production of carotenoids and causing a significant change in the profile of fatty acids produced. | Evaluation of Light-Emitting Diodes Applied to Rhodotorula mucilaginosa to Produce Carotenoids and Lipids | 10.1007/s11947-024-03324-0 |
2024-01-26 | Background The length of hospital stay of very-low-birth-weight neonates (birth weight < 1500 g) depends on multiple factors. Numerous factors have been reported to influence the length of hospital stay (LOS). The objective of this study was to identify the length of hospital stay and associated factors among very-low-birth-weight preterm neonates. Method A hospital-based, cross-sectional study was conducted. Data was collected using a pretested, structured questionnaire from April 1 to November 30, 2022. The data was entered using Epidata and Stata version 15.1. The frequencies, mean, median, and interquartile range were used to describe the study population about relevant variables. A linear regression model was used to see the effect of independent variables on dependent variables. Result About 110 very low-birth-weight preterm neonates who survived to discharge were included in the study. The median birth weight was 1370 g, with an IQR of 1250–1430. The mean gestational age was 32.30 ± 1.79 weeks. The median length of hospital stay was 24 days, with an IQR of 13.5–40. The gestational age, type of initial management given, and presence of complications had a significant association with the length of hospital stay for VLBW preterm neonates. Conclusion The median hospital stay was 24 days. The gestational age, presence of complications, and type of initial management given were associated with LOS for VLBW preterm neonates. The length of the hospital stay of the VLBW preterm neonates can be reduced by applying the standards of care of very-low-birth-weight preterm neonates. | Length of hospital stay and factors associated with very-low-birth-weight preterm neonates surviving to discharge a cross-sectional study, 2022 | 10.1186/s12887-024-04532-5 |
2024-01-25 | Industrially prepared artificial graphite (AG) is attractive for potassium-ion batteries (PIBs), but its rate performance is poor and the production process is energy intensive, so developing an efficient strategy to produce novel graphite with low energy consumption and high performance is economically important. Herein, a nanostructured graphite composed of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and graphite shells was prepared by one-pot method through low-temperature pyrolysis of iron-based metal-organic framework (MOF) and carbon source. The high graphitization degree of nanostructured graphite makes the initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE) exceed 80%, and the three-dimensional (3D) conductive network ensures a specific capacity of 234 mAh·g −1 after 1000 cycles at a high current density of 500 mA·g −1 . In addition, the typical graphite potassium storage mechanism is also demonstrated by in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) and in situ Raman spectroscopy, and its practicality is also proved by the voltage of the full cells. This work provides a feasible way to optimize the practical production process of AG and expand its application in energy storage. | Low-temperature-pyrolysis preparation of nanostructured graphite towards rapid potassium storage with high initial Coulombic efficiency | 10.1007/s12274-024-6429-4 |
2024-01-25 | Over the past few decades, Toarcian (Early Jurassic) black shale deposits of NW Europe have been extensively studied, and the possible global and regional mechanisms for their regional variation have been discussed. In this context, the black shales of the Northwest German Basin are still sparsely studied with regard to their palaeo-depositional history. This study aims to understand the connection between regional and global influences on the widespread Early Toarcian oceanic anoxic event by examining two wells covering the Upper Pliensbachian to Upper Toarcian sediments in the Northwestern German Basin. The core intervals were analysed using a multidisciplinary approach, including geochemistry, biostratigraphy and organic petrography. Marine palaeoenvironmental changes were reconstructed, and sediment sequences were stratigraphically classified to allow a supra-regional stratigraphic correlation. The results reveal complex interactions between sea level changes, climate warming, basin confinement, and Tethys–Arctic connectivity resulting in the Toarcian black shale deposition. Upper Pliensbachian sediments were deposited under terrigenous influence, shallow water depths, and predominantly oxic bottom water conditions. The deposition of black shale is characterized by algal organic material input and anoxic bottom water conditions. Strong correlations between water stratification, anoxia, and bioproductivity suggest that global warming and intensification of monsoonal rainfall, continental weathering, and increasing freshwater and nutrient inputs were the main factors controlling the formation of black shales. Prolonged deposition of OM-rich sediments in the NWGB may be related to intensified monsoonal precipitation in northern Europe and enhanced Tethys–Arctic connectivity at the serpentinum–bifrons transition. Graphical Abstract | Lower Jurassic (Pliensbachian–Toarcian) marine paleoenvironment in Western Europe: sedimentology, geochemistry and organic petrology of the wells Mainzholzen and Wickensen, Hils Syncline, Lower Saxony Basin | 10.1007/s00531-023-02381-8 |
2024-01-25 | Background Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) are among the most frequent infections and a significant contributor to inappropriate antibiotic prescription. Currently, no single diagnostic tool can reliably identify bacterial pneumonia. We thus evaluate a multimodal approach based on a clinical score, lung ultrasound (LUS), and the inflammatory biomarker, procalcitonin (PCT) to guide prescription of antibiotics. LUS outperforms chest X-ray in the identification of pneumonia, while PCT is known to be elevated in bacterial and/or severe infections. We propose a trial to test their synergistic potential in reducing antibiotic prescription while preserving patient safety in emergency departments (ED). Methods The PLUS-IS-LESS study is a pragmatic, stepped-wedge cluster-randomized, clinical trial conducted in 10 Swiss EDs. It assesses the PLUS algorithm, which combines a clinical prediction score, LUS, PCT, and a clinical severity score to guide antibiotics among adults with LRTIs, compared with usual care. The co-primary endpoints are the proportion of patients prescribed antibiotics and the proportion of patients with clinical failure by day 28. Secondary endpoints include measurement of change in quality of life, length of hospital stay, antibiotic-related side effects, barriers and facilitators to the implementation of the algorithm, cost-effectiveness of the intervention, and identification of patterns of pneumonia in LUS using machine learning. Discussion The PLUS algorithm aims to optimize prescription of antibiotics through improved diagnostic performance and maximization of physician adherence, while ensuring safety. It is based on previously validated tests and does therefore not expose participants to unforeseeable risks. Cluster randomization prevents cross-contamination between study groups, as physicians are not exposed to the intervention during or before the control period. The stepped-wedge implementation of the intervention allows effect calculation from both between- and within-cluster comparisons, which enhances statistical power and allows smaller sample size than a parallel cluster design. Moreover, it enables the training of all centers for the intervention, simplifying implementation if the results prove successful. The PLUS algorithm has the potential to improve the identification of LRTIs that would benefit from antibiotics. When scaled, the expected reduction in the proportion of antibiotics prescribed has the potential to not only decrease side effects and costs but also mitigate antibiotic resistance. Trial registration This study was registered on July 19, 2022, on the ClinicalTrials.gov registry using reference number: NCT05463406. Trial status Recruitment started on December 5, 2022, and will be completed on November 3, 2024. Current protocol version is version 3.0, dated April 3, 2023. | PLUS-IS-LESS project: Procalcitonin and Lung UltraSonography-based antibiotherapy in patients with Lower rESpiratory tract infection in Swiss Emergency Departments: study protocol for a pragmatic stepped-wedge cluster-randomized trial | 10.1186/s13063-023-07795-y |
2024-01-24 | Root rot of hydroponically grown Welsh onion has caused considerable economic losses every year since commercial cultivation began in 1988 in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The primary pathogens, which have not been reported to form sexual structures, are Pythium spp. including Pythium clusters B2a sp., which is most prevalent, and B1d sp. and Pythium clade A sp. These pathogens infect Welsh onion roots by producing sporangia and zoospores. The objective of this study was to elucidate the inhibitory effects of low-pH solutions on root-rot pathogens of hydroponically grown Welsh onion. Naturally occurring disease was significantly lower after treatment with nutrient solutions with a pH maintained at 4.3–4.9 than with conventional unmanaged solutions (pH 5.4–6.4). In a greenhouse after inoculation of infected Welsh onion with Pythium cluster B2a sp., low-pH solutions (pH 4.0 and 4.5) significantly suppressed zoospore production and reduced the percentage of root infections compared to the conventional solution (pH 5.5). In other greenhouse inoculation tests with Pythium clusters B2a sp. and B1d sp. and Pythium clade A sp., the low-pH solution (pH 4.0) substantially decreased zoospore density and root infection compared to the conventional solution (pH 5.5). The low-pH solutions did not negatively impact crop yield in the greenhouse tests and thus can be used to suppress root rot in hydroponically grown Welsh onions. | Suppressive effects of low-pH solutions on root rot in hydroponically grown Welsh onion | 10.1007/s10327-024-01168-2 |
2024-01-24 | This work presents the Middle Pleistocene palaeoenvironmental and archaeological record of the Valle Giumentina basin (Abruzzo, Italy). A high-resolution geological study, including stratigraphy, sedimentology and micromorphology, was performed on the lower part of the sequence which correlates with the time span between MIS 15 and MIS 14 stages, i.e. between 570 and 530 ka. In addition to long-term climatic variability, sedimentological data highlight many short oscillations of varying amplitude during both Glacial and Interglacial periods. These results are confirmed by the studies of environmental proxies (pollen and molluscan analysis) previously undertaken on the Valle Giumentina sequence in 2016. Comparisons with global, Mediterranean and Italian climate archives confirm the consistency of the Valle Giumentina record and the contrasting characteristics of each isotopic stages. The three archaeological levels comprised in this part of the sequence can be assigned to isotopic sub-stages MIS 15a (Level AO1-20), MIS 14d (Level 24) and MIS 14c/14b (Level LBr). Human groups lived here during both temperate and cold periods, into woodland and steppe landscapes. Petrographic, traceological and technological studies were undertaken on the small lithic series (total of 119 artefacts). They suggest that raw material procurement was strictly local. The core and flake production is of techno-type C (recurrent unipolar flaking, SSDA, flaked flakes). Several morphologies of blanks occur with regular and mostly straight cutting-edges (small and thin flakes, notches, thick backed flakes). They are rarely retouched. Despite their good state of preservation, the pieces do not exhibit use-wear traces. | Environmental changes and human occupations between MIS 15 and MIS 14 in Central Italy: archaeological levels AO1-20, 24 and LBr of Valle Giumentina (c. 570–530 ka) | 10.1007/s12520-024-01938-1 |
2024-01-24 | Impact initiation may result in deaths and injuries, economic losses, and the failure of explosive weapons during attack or defense. In this paper, we investigate the non-shock initiation and energy release properties of a typically insensitive booster composition, PBX-JH14C, at low velocity impact. This projectile filled with PBX-JH14C specimen was launched into this test chamber by penetrating the aluminum plate and impacting against the rear plate, and a series of experiments were conducted under the velocities of 97.7–294.6 m/s. The low-velocity impact initiation condition and energy release characteristics of PBX-JH14C material were evaluated by the impact velocity, the impact pressure, and the maximum pressure inside the experimental chamber. This experiment revealed the critical low-velocity impact initiation conditions of PBX-JH14C. In addition, the relationship between the maximum pressure in the reaction chamber and the reaction efficiency was deduced, whereby the influence of the maximum pressure in the reaction chamber on the reaction efficiency of PBX-JH14C was analyzed quantitatively. | Studies on Initiation and Energy Release Characteristics of Polymer Bonded Explosives Under Low-Velocity Impacts | 10.1007/s40870-023-00408-4 |
2024-01-23 | Protein-mediated chromatin interactions can be revealed by coupling proximity-based ligation with chromatin immunoprecipitation. However, these techniques require complex experimental procedures and millions of cells per experiment, which limits their widespread application in life science research. Here, we develop a novel method, Hi-Tag, that identifies high-resolution, long-range chromatin interactions through transposase tagmentation and chromatin proximity ligation (with a phosphorothioate-modified linker). Hi-Tag can be implemented using as few as 100,000 cells, involving simple experimental procedures that can be completed within 1.5 days. Meanwhile, Hi-Tag is capable of using its own data to identify the binding sites of specific proteins, based on which, it can acquire accurate interaction information. Our results suggest that Hi-Tag has great potential for advancing chromatin interaction studies, particularly in the context of limited cell availability. | Hi-Tag: a simple and efficient method for identifying protein-mediated long-range chromatin interactions with low cell numbers | 10.1007/s11427-023-2441-0 |
2024-01-23 | The slot-die coating is the most commonly used manufacturing method for producing lithium-ion battery electrodes. However, how to achieve high surface consistency for electrodes still confronts one challenge. In this research, the slot coating processes with different die lip configurations were carefully investigated using numerical and experimental methods. The motion pattern, internal flow structure of the coating bead, and coating uniformity were explored during the coating process of lithium battery cathode slurry. The low-flow limit at different coating gaps was also determined by combining the viscous capillary model and numerical methods, which was in good agreement with experimental results. The results showed that a smaller coating gap controlling the upstream meniscus between the upstream die lip and slot exit was favorable to the coating uniformity. For the same thickness films, a larger coating gap was apt to increase formation of edge defects. However, the coating speed had little effect on the edge height. The evolution of flow structure for the coating bead (parabolic–sharp angle–diagonal) under different processes was investigated by tracking the particle trajectories during the coating process. It can provide theoretical guidance for the fabrication of high-quality electrodes. | Numerical and experimental investigation on formation of the film for different die lip configurations in lithium-ion battery electrode slot-die coating | 10.1007/s11998-023-00874-4 |
2024-01-22 | Carbon nanotube network field-effect transistors (CNT-FETs) have been recognized as strong candidates for post-Si era electronics due to their higher speed, lower power consumption, and high sensing capabilities. In this study, CNT-FET structures were fabricated on heavily doped Si substrates with an oxide layer. To investigate the effect of low-temperature annealing on the electrical properties, the transistors were annealed at 120 °C for 1 h, the transfer and output characteristics of the transistors were measured, and the key electrical parameters, such as field-effect mobility, effective mobility, threshold voltage, interface states, transconductance, drain conductance, resistance, and hysteresis gap values were obtained. A series of device parameter evaluation results showed that low-temperature annealing treatment in air can effectively improve the on-state current, increase the mobility, and reduce the device threshold voltage and subthreshold swing. In addition, a large decrease in contact resistance, from 1.9 MΩ to 12.3 kΩ, was observed after low-temperature annealing. It has been found that low-temperature annealing has a tremendous improvement effect on the electrical characteristics of CNT-FETs and should be considered during the production and design stages of CNT transistors. Graphical Abstract | The Effect of Low-Temperature Annealing on the Electrical Characteristics of Carbon Nanotube Network Field-Effect Transistors | 10.1007/s11664-023-10912-x |
2024-01-22 | Solar heating for industrial processes (SHIP) is a promising alternative for heat generation worldwide, especially in industries where low-temperature heat is required. However, despite the large importance of the food industry in Brazil’s gross domestic product, SHIP technology is still incipient. Among the reasons, one can mention high installation costs and the fact that many industries in Brazil already use affordable biomass as fuel for heat generation. Therefore, this work carries out a nationwide study of the technical and economic applicability of SHIP for hot water production in the Brazilian food industry, assessing the influence of several variables on SHIP systems profitability, such as the location of the food processing plant, the amount of heat it consumes, the size of the SHIP system installed for this plant, the costs of the solar heating system and of the replaced fuel. Results show that SHIP can be a profitable alternative to natural gas in any part of Brazil but can only compete with firewood in very specific locations, at very specific conditions. For instance, costs reductions around 20% for small SHIP systems allow them to compete with firewood for heat generation, while larger reductions (i.e., ~ 40%) would be beneficial for larger SHIP systems even when firewood costs are below 16 USD/MWh. | A thermo-economical assessment of solar-based low-grade heat applied to the meat and dairy industries in Brazil | 10.1007/s40430-023-04630-y |
2024-01-22 | Recently, the low-pressure cold spray (LPCS) technique has been used to fabricate superhydrophobic polymer coatings on metallic substrates, suggesting a significant potential in engineering applications. This study aims to design a spiral LPCS nozzle to coat the pipe’s inner wall with superhydrophobic polymer. The design goal is to achieve the maximum particle velocity in a confined (limited) space, assuming that the powder can enter the feeding tube through the Venturi effect. Achieving these two goals simultaneously using only computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation is challenging. Therefore, the CFD simulation was combined with the neural network (NN) method to design the new spiral nozzle. During training, the effects of the NN models and algorithms were investigated. The results showed that the feedforwardnet model combined with the trainbr or trainlm algorithm (from MATLAB 2016b software), presented a minimal error for particle velocity or gas flux prediction, respectively. The trained NN correlates the nozzle parameters (i.e., mean coil diameter, spring lift angle, and expansion ratio) and its performances (i.e., particle velocity and gas flux in the powder feeding tube). As a result, the optimal spiral nozzle was determined based on the design goal of maximum particle velocity and suitable gas flux in the powder feeding tube. Furthermore, the effect of each nozzle parameter on the particle velocity and gas flux in the powder feeding tube was analyzed. The cold spray experiment confirmed that the designed spiral nozzle could fabricate Perfluoroalkoxy alkane (PFA) coatings. | Optimal Design of a Cold Spray Nozzle for Inner Wall Coating Fabrication by Combining CFD Simulation and Neural Networks | 10.1007/s11666-024-01716-4 |
2024-01-22 | Consumers seek healthy and sustainable products, whereas the food industry faces the challenge of processing by-products management. The application of fruit pomace as an additive could be a solution addressing the needs of both consumers and producers. The research objective has been to assess the effect of dried blackcurrant pomace powder (BP) and calcium ions in varied concentration on the physicochemical properties of multicomponent freeze-dried snacks as compared to the influence of low-methoxyl pectin (LMP). The snacks were prepared using varied content of BP (1, 3, 5%) and calcium lactate (0, 0.01, 0.05%). Water content and activity, hygroscopic properties, structure, texture, colour, polyphenols content (TPC), and antioxidant activity were analysed. The addition of BP resulted in lowering water activity and porosity. The microstructure of the snacks consisted of a large number of small and unevenly distributed pores. Consequently, the reduction of hygroscopic properties with the growing amount of BP was observed. Applied additives strengthened the structure and caused changes in compression curves indicating enhanced hardness and crispiness. The effect given by 5% of BP was comparable to that obtained with 0.5% of LMP. Additionally, blackcurrant pomace infusion increased TPC and enhanced antioxidant activity but it also caused significant changes in the colour of the snacks. Overall, obtained results have shown that dried blackcurrant pomace powder (BP) can be successfully applied as a food additive supporting stability, texture, and bioactive compounds content, thus fortifying the physicochemical properties of freeze-dried fruit and vegetable snacks. | Development and physicochemical characteristics of multicomponent freeze-dried snacks obtained with blackcurrant pomace powder and calcium ions as structuring agents | 10.1007/s13197-023-05906-w |
2024-01-22 | The selective extraction of low-concentration light rare earth ions(LREs) by 1,7-diaza-15-crown-5 ether(2N15C5) from complex ammonium sulfate solutions containing multiple impurity ions was studied, which provides a new method for efficient separation of Ln 3+ from the tail liquid wastewater discharged from in-suit leaching of ion-adsorbed rare earth ores. Liquid–liquid extraction experiments showed that impurity ions affect the extraction distribution of LREs via inducing the formation of rare earth ammonium sulfate compound salts, and the single-stage extraction coefficients of LREs were 2.20 for aluminum (Al) and 7.80 for iron (Fe) under the condition of pH 1.5 ± 0.5 and [SO 4 2− ] T /∑[Ln 3+ ] < 10. Multistage counter-current extraction can further enhance the selective extraction of light rare earth ions with β LREs/Al = 21.41 and β LREs/Fe = 23.33 from the tail liquid wastewater. Density functional theory calculations indicated that steric hindrance caused by size compatibility and electron density-based weak interactions affect the coordination between 2N15C5 and different cations. Graphical Abstract | Selective Recovery of Low-Concentration Light Rare Earth Ions from High-Concentration Ammonium Sulfate System by Coordination Ability | 10.1007/s40831-023-00779-x |
2024-01-22 | The southern fringing reef along Ofu, American Samoa, has been a focus of coral research owing to the presence of super-heated pools on the reef flat, where corals thrive in elevated sea temperatures. Here, we present the first documentation of exceptionally large low-frequency (periods > 100 s) waves over this reef flat. During a large, southerly swell event, low-frequency waves on the inner reef flat had mean heights of 0.7 m and periods of 2–4 min and are estimated to have contributed up to 50% of the total water levels. One observed low-frequency wave had a trough-to-peak vertical height of 1.5 m, possibly representing the largest low-frequency wave ever directly observed on a reef flat. These large, low-frequency waves, which were likely amplified by reef resonance, are important factors in coastal hazards such as flooding and erosion and may also be relevant to coral health and resilience. | Extreme low-frequency waves on the Ofu, American Samoa, reef flat | 10.1007/s00338-023-02453-w |
2024-01-22 | This paper explores the effectiveness of green technology innovation and low-carbon transformation in promoting low-carbon development across various industries. Specifically, we investigate the government’s interventions for new energy vehicle (NEV) enterprises and cold chain logistics service providers (LSPs) to promote the green development of the cold chain logistics industry. Using evolutionary game theory, we analyze the interaction mechanism among government regulators, NEV enterprises, and cold chain LSPs to identify effective intervention policies. Furthermore, we define optimization conditions and analyze the influence of key factors on the dynamic evolution process. Finally, we conduct a detailed sensitivity analysis of the main parameters. The findings reveal that (1) initial differences in willingness among subjects can have a significant impact on their evolution, (2) government penalties have a greater impact on enterprises than subsidies, while NEV enterprises are more sensitive to subsidies, and additional government intervention in cold chain LSPs can promote a balance of interests among the three parties, and (3) collaborative innovation cost-sharing among cold chain LSPs can promote the greening of the cold chain. Overall, the results of this study can serve as a reference for the decarbonization path of the manufacturer–service provider model and offer valuable suggestions for the government to achieve a low-carbon society. | Evolutionary game analysis of low-carbon transformation and technological innovation in the cold chain under dual government intervention | 10.1007/s10668-023-04457-6 |
2024-01-20 | This work aims to synthesize new cementitious materials (binders) using marble powder, rice husk ash, activated laterite and NaOH solution by applying low energy process. The binder was used to stabilize solid precursors (laterite and pozzolan). To achieve this objective, calcium–silicate–hydrate (CSH) was first synthesized at different temperatures (26, 50, 80 and 100 °C). The best physical–mechanical properties were chosen to produce iron–calcium–aluminium–silicate–hydrate [Fe–C(A)SH] at different concentrations of sodium hydroxide solution: 4, 5, 6 M. Finally, the formulated binder at 6 M of NaOH solution was used to stabilize laterite and pozzolans at the following proportions 20%, 30%, 40% and 50%. The samples were characterized after 28 days of curing at room temperature. FT-infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and environmental scanning electron microscope ESEM-EDS permitted to confirm the formation of CSH, and Fe–C(A)SH. The mechanical test used to evaluate the performance showed that the incorporation of 10% iron-rich laterite into CSH increased the strength up to 42.93 MPa and the addition of Fe–C(A)SH in the laterite/pozzolans increased the compressive strength of the final product (15.34 and 15.8 MPa for laterite and pozzolan, respectively). The highest concentration (6 M) increases the alkalinity and reduces the efficiency of silicate polymerization affecting the final structural compound. From the results, low-energy Fe–C(A)SH-based cement and stabilized compounds appeared promising for the development of sustainable infrastructures. | Design and characterization of iron–calcium–aluminium–silicate–hydrate as low-temperature binder | 10.1007/s41062-023-01329-w |
2024-01-20 | Purpose Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) represents the current standard procedure for size-independent surgical therapy of benign prostatic obstruction (BPO). With advent of the novel laser technology thulium fiber laser (TFL), we hypothesized that the functional outcome of TFL enucleation of the prostate (ThuFLEP) is non-inferior compared to HoLEP. Methods From October 2021 to October 2022, 150 patients with BPO were recruited for the prospective randomized trial in accordance with CONSORT. Stratified randomization into the arms ThuFLEP ( n = 74) or HoLEP ( n = 76) was carried out. The primary endpoint was non-inferior international prostate symptom score (IPSS) and quality of life (QoL) at three months after treatment. Secondary endpoints were rates of complications, peak flow, residual urine and operation times. Results Preoperative characteristics showed no significant differences. Overall IPSS and QoL improved from 21 to 8 and 4 to 1.5, respectively, after three months of follow-up. No statistically significant differences between ThuFLEP and HoLEP were observed regarding median postoperative IPSS (8.5 vs. 7, p > 0.9), QoL (1 vs. 2, p = 0.6), residual urine (48 vs. 30ml, p = 0.065) and peak flow (19 vs. 17ml/s, p > 0.9). Similarly, safety profile was comparable with no statistically significant differences regarding rate of major complications (5.3 vs. 5.4%, p = 0.5), laser hemostasis time (3 vs. 2min, p = 0.2), use of additive electric coagulation (74 vs. 87%, p = 0.06) or electric coagulation time (8 vs. 8min, p = 0.4). Conclusions In this prospective, randomized trial ThuFLEP showed non-inferior results compared to HoLEP in terms of functional outcomes measured by IPSS and QoL as primary endpoint. Trial registration number DRKS00032699 (18.09.2023, retrospectively registered). | Thulium fiber laser vs. holmium laser enucleation of the prostate: results of a prospective randomized non-inferiority trial | 10.1007/s00345-023-04748-7 |
2024-01-19 | In this study, an experimental and numerical investigation of eight geometrical configurations of evacuated tube solar collectors was conducted. The configurations were tested simultaneously in outdoor installation under the same operational conditions. Parameters such as collector eccentricity, solar concentration, vacuum, collector absorber, and cover tube materials were investigated. The numerical model developed in MATLAB was validated with experimental results. The results show that the eccentricity and the absorptivity of the material of the absorber are the parameters that have the highest influence on the collector performance. Using reflective film in the eccentric solar collector configurations can increase efficiency by 33%. The vacuum presented an efficiency increase variation between 1 and 4% in the eccentric tube collectors. For the concentric collectors configurations, the use of the vacuum between the tubes can reach an increase of 9% in its performance. The eccentricity of the collector using reflective film and vacuum allows an effective solar concentration in the collector absorber and presents a 26% higher efficiency when compared with the concentric collector. The numerical results show that Makrolon can used as a sub for the usual glass cover, and the selection of the solar absorption for the absorber has the highest impact on the collector efficiency. Using steel black chrome for the absorber reached a maximum efficiency of 82%. These results can be used to support the design of future solar collectors. | Thermal evaluation of geometrical innovations in concentric and eccentric evacuated single and double solar collectors | 10.1007/s40430-023-04665-1 |
2024-01-19 | In the present work, we have designed a one-pot green protocol in which anti-cancer drugs (curcumin and doxorubicin) can be directly loaded on the surface of gold nanoparticles during their formation. We have further demonstrated that low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) can be used to effectively induce the release of anti-cancer drugs from the surface of gold nanoparticles in an ex vivo tissue model. With this protocol, gold nanoparticles can be easily loaded with different types of anticancer drugs, irrespective of their affinity towards water, and even hydrophobic molecules, like curcumin, can be attached onto the gold nanoparticles in an aqueous medium. The method is very simple and straightforward and does not require stirring or mechanical shaking. The drug molecules interact with the gold seeds formed during the reduction and growth process and modulate the final morphology into a spherical shape. A black-colored colloidal solution of gold nanowire networks is formed in the absence of these anti-cancer drug molecules in the reaction mixture. We used hyperspectral-enhanced dark field microscopy to examine the uptake of gold nanoparticles by breast cancer cells. Upon exposure to LIPUS, the release of the anti-cancer drug from the particle surface can be quantified by fluorescence measurements. This release of drug molecules along with trisodium citrate from the surface of gold nanoparticles by ultrasound resulted in their destabilization and subsequent aggregation, which could be visually observed through the change in the color of colloidal sol. Cancer cell viability was studied by MTT assay to examine the efficacy of this nanoparticle-based drug delivery system. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis were used to characterize the nanoparticles and quantify anti-cancer drug release. Graphical abstract | Green synthesis of anti-cancer drug-loaded gold nanoparticles for low-intensity pulsed ultrasound targeted drug release | 10.1007/s13346-024-01516-x |
2024-01-19 | Background Wildfires in 2020 ravaged California to set the annual record of area burned to date. Clusters of wildfires in Northern California surrounded the Bay Area covering the skies with smoke and raising the air pollutant concentrations to hazardous levels. This study uses the Fire Inventory from the National Center for Atmospheric Research database and the Community Multiscale Air Quality model to estimate the effects of wildfire emissions on air quality during the period from August 16 to October 28 of 2020. In addition, low-cost sensor data for fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) from the PurpleAir network is used to enhance modeled PM 2.5 concentrations. The resulting impacts on ozone and PM 2.5 are used to quantify the health impacts caused by wildfires using the Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program – Community Edition. Results Wildfire activity significantly increased direct PM 2.5 emissions and emissions of PM 2.5 and ozone precursors. Direct PM 2.5 emissions surged up to 38 times compared to an average day. Modeling results indicated that wildfires alone led to a rise in ozone daily maximum 8-h average by up to 10 ppb and exceeded PM 2.5 air quality standards in numerous locations by up to 10 times. While modeled PM 2.5 concentrations were lower than measurements, correcting these with PurpleAir data improved the accuracy. The correction using PurpleAir data increased estimates of wildfire-induced mortality due to PM 2.5 exposure by up to 16%. Conclusions The increased hospital admissions and premature mortality attributed to wildfires were found to be comparable to the health impacts avoided by strategies aimed at meeting ozone and PM2.5 air quality standards. This suggests that widespread wildfire emissions can negate years of efforts dedicated to controlling air pollution. The integration of low-cost sensor data proved invaluable in refining the estimates of health impacts from PM2.5 resulting from wildfires. Resumen Antecedentes Los incendios de vegetación en 2020 devastaron California, fijando el récord anual de área quemada hasta el presente. Ese año, múltiples grupos de incendios en el norte de California rodeaban el área de la Bahía (Bay Area), cubriendo los cielos de humo y elevando las concentraciones de contaminantes hasta niveles peligrosos. Este estudio usó el Inventario de Incendios de la base de datos del Centro Nacional para Investigaciones de la Atmósfera y del modelo Comunitario Multiescalar sobre la Calidad del Aire, para estimar los efectos de las emisiones de incendios sobre la calidad del aire desde el 16 de agosto hasta el 28 de octubre de 2020. Adicionalmente, el sensor de bajo costo para determinar el particulado fino (PM2.5), tomado de la red PurpleAir, fue usado para mejorar el modelado de concentraciones de PM2.5. Los impactos resultantes en el ozono y PM2.5 fueron usados para cuantificar los impactos en la salud causados por los incendios de vegetación, usando el Programa Beneficios del Mapa y Análisis - Edición de la Comunidad. Resultados La actividad de los incendios incrementaron significativamente las emisiones directas de PM2.5 y los precursores de las emisiones de PM2.5 y ozono. Las emisiones directas de PM2.5 resultaron hasta 38 veces más altas comparadas con un día normal. Los resultados modelados indicaron que los incendios por sí mismos llevaron a un aumento del ozono diario máximo 8 horas en promedio y por 10 ppb, y excedieron los estándares de calidad del aire debido al PM2.5 en numerosas ubicaciones y por hasta 10 veces. Mientras que los valores modelados del PM2.5 fueron más bajos que las mediciones, la corrección de esos valores con el PurpleAir mejoraron su exactitud. Las correcciones usando datos de PurpleAir incrementaron las estimaciones de la mortalidad debida a la exposición de PM2.5 en un 16%. Conclusiones El incremento en las admisiones en los hospitales y las muertes prematuras atribuidas a los incendios de vegetación fueron encontradas comparables a los impactos en la salud evitados mediante estrategias enfocadas a alcanzar los estándares de calidad del aire para el ozono y el PM2.5. Esto sugiere que las emisiones generalizadas de los incendios pueden anular años de esfuerzos dedicados a controlar la contaminación del aire. La integración de datos del sensor de bajo costo probó ser muy valiosa para refinar las estimaciones de los impactos en la salud provenientes del PM2.5 resultante de los incendios. | Air quality and health impacts of the 2020 wildfires in California | 10.1186/s42408-023-00234-y |
2024-01-19 | Background The Peruvian ‘chanque’ or Chilean ‘loco’ Concholepas concholepas is an economically, ecologically, and culturally important muricid gastropod heavily exploited by artisanal fisheries in the temperate southeastern Pacific Ocean. In this study, we have profited from a set of bioinformatics tools to recover important biological information of C. concholepas from low-coverage short-read NGS datasets. Specifically, we calculated the size of the nuclear genome, ploidy, and estimated transposable elements content using an in silico k-mer approach, we discovered, annotated, and quantified those transposable elements, we assembled and annotated the 45S rDNA RNA operon and mitochondrial genome, and we confirmed the phylogenetic position of C. concholepas within the muricid subfamily Rapaninae based on translated protein coding genes. Results Using a k-mer approach, the haploid genome size estimated for the predicted diploid genome of C. concholepas varied between 1.83 Gbp (with kmer = 24) and 2.32 Gbp (with kmer = 36). Between half and two thirds of the nuclear genome of C. concholepas was composed of transposable elements. The most common transposable elements were classified as Long Interspersed Nuclear Elements and Short Interspersed Nuclear Elements, which were more abundant than DNA transposons, simple repeats, and Long Terminal Repeats. Less abundant repeat elements included Helitron mobile elements, 45S rRNA DNA, and Satellite DNA, among a few others.The 45S rRNA DNA operon of C. concholepas that encodes for the ssrRNA, 5.8S rRNA, and lsrRNA genes was assembled into a single contig 8,090 bp long. The assembled mitochondrial genome of C. concholepas is 15,449 bp long and encodes 13 protein coding genes, two ribosomal genes, and 22 transfer RNAs. Conclusion The information gained by this study will inform the assembly of a high quality nuclear genome for C. concholepas and will support bioprospecting and biomonitoring using environmental DNA to advance development of conservation and management plans in this overexploited marine snail. | Insights into the genome of the ‘Loco’ Concholepas concholepas (Gastropoda: Muricidae) from low-coverage short-read sequencing: genome size, ploidy, transposable elements, nuclear RNA gene operon, mitochondrial genome, and phylogenetic placement in the family Muricidae | 10.1186/s12864-023-09953-7 |
2024-01-19 | The lower Yangtze River valley has widely been regarded as centres of rice domestication, tracing back to 10,000 cal a BP or even earlier in the late Pleistocene. Despite recent advances in both evidence of genetics and archaeology had shed light on the process of rice domestication, including its initiation, acceleration, and completion, the spatial pattern and intra-regional differences of rice domestication in the lower Yangtze River remain unclear. Here, rice bulliform phytoliths were selected as a proxy of the domestication trait and applied to Jingtoushan, Hemudu, Yushan and Xiawangdu sites, ranging from 8000 to 5000 cal a BP in the Ningshao Plain, along with accumulated phytolith data in the Jinqu Basin and Taihu Plain. Rice domestication in the lower Yangtze River exhibited a geographic mosaic pattern rather than the presumed synchronous process among different regions. Rice domestication was initiated during the Shangshan culture (10–8.5 cal ka BP) in the Jinqu Basin and increased rapidly, which reached even higher level than the subsequent Jingtoushan culture (8.3–7.8 cal ka BP) in the Ningshao Plain. During the middle Holocene, rice domestication in the Taihu Plain was generally higher than that in the contemporaneous Ningshao Plain which may finish hundreds of years later. In contrast to the accomplishment of rice domestication around 6000 cal a BP in the Taihu Plain, the delayed process of rice domestication in the Ningshao Plain may result from frequent marine inundation induced by sea-level fluctuation during the Jingtoushan and Hemudu cultures (7–5 cal ka BP). | Geographic mosaics of rice domestication in the lower Yangtze River indicated by morphological characteristics of rice bulliform phytoliths | 10.1007/s12520-024-01936-3 |
2024-01-18 | All models are wrong, but models are not all equally wrong. Indeed, they can be wrong to different degrees and in entirely different ways. Here, we show that GCMs which are lower-performance (for particular tasks and applications) play a crucial role in climate science research. That is, lower-performance models help scientists gain knowledge they would otherwise lack, a point that is often underappreciated and has been under-theorized. More specifically, in the climate science literature, we see that lower-performance models help constrain the estimates of climate variables, lower-performance models provide data to test model weighting schemes, and lower-performance models serve as evidence to help resolve model-data discrepancies. This implies that (i) lower-performance models ought not be eliminated from analysis too hastily and (ii) the value of multi-model ensembles goes beyond exploring structural uncertainty and includes the counterintuitive generation of new knowledge via, in part, lower-performance models. As a result of (ii), model intercomparison efforts require reappraisal, particularly when deciding how to allocate modeling resources. | Why we need lower-performance climate models | 10.1007/s10584-023-03661-7 |
2024-01-18 | The escalating levels of fault currents resulting from short circuits, particularly in the context of distribution generators, have presented a critical need for the widespread implementation of fault current limiters (FCLs) in power systems. Despite their evident advantages, the extensive adoption of FCLs has been hindered by the high production costs associated with these devices. To address this challenge, a comprehensive study was conducted to develop a cost-effective FCL tailored specifically for three-phase power systems. This paper proposes a novel approach based on a single commutation circuit for the FCL and offers detailed insights into the construction of the FCL circuit, with a particular focus on efficient current interruption. Additionally, the study comprehensively discusses the logic controller and measurement system employed in conjunction with the proposed FCL, ensuring precise fault detection and rapid response to disturbances within the power grid. The integration of an artificial zero-crossing circuit within the FCL design further enhances its capability to limit short-circuit currents proactively, even before the occurrence of the first peak, thereby bolstering overall system reliability and stability. The study's significant contribution lies in achieving cost-effectiveness through the simplicity of the FCL's design, eliminating the need for extensive upgrades to various network components. | Inexpensive short-circuit current limiter and switching device based on one commutation circuit for a three-phase system | 10.1186/s43067-023-00131-z |
2024-01-18 | Background Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant disease of lipid metabolism mainly caused by mutations in the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) gene. Genetic detection of patients with FH help with precise diagnosis and treatment, thus reducing the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and other related diseases. The study aimed to identify the causative gene mutations in a Chinese FH family and reveal the pathogenicity and the mechanism of these mutations. Methods and results Whole exome sequencing was performed in a patient with severe lipid metabolism dysfunction seeking fertility guidance from a Chinese FH family. Two LDLR variants c.1875 C > G (p.N625K; novel variant) and c.1448G > A (p.W483*) were identified in the family. Wildtype and mutant LDLR constructs were established by the site-direct mutagenesis technique. Functional studies were carried out by cell transfection to evaluate the impact of detected variants on LDLR activity. The two variants were proven to affect LDL uptake and binding, resulting in cholesterol clearance reduction to different degrees. According to The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) Standards and Guidelines, the W483* variant was classified as “Pathogenic”, while the N625K variant as “VUS”. Conclusions Our results provide novel experimental evidence of functional alteration by LDLR variants identified in our study and expand the mutational spectrum of LDLR mutation induced FH. | Novel LDLR variants affecting low density lipoprotein metabolism identified in familial hypercholesterolemia | 10.1007/s11033-023-09169-8 |
2024-01-18 | Alongside increases in the average lifespan and a growing interest in anti-aging remedies, the demand for at-home skincare devices is rapidly expanding in the cosmetic market. This study aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of a novel home-use handheld multi-energy-based device for skin rejuvenation that simultaneously emits low level light, low-dose radiofrequency, low-energy microcurrent, and low-intensity ultrasonic wave. This prospective, randomized, split-face clinical trial enrolled 36 healthy Korean women. After 8 weeks of device use, parameters associated with skin aging were assessed. Additionally, a preliminary ex vivo study and skin biopsy following device use were performed to confirm safety and efficiency of the device. Parameters associated with skin aging including skin hydration, elasticity, roughness, skin pore size, and eye wrinkle volume showed significant improvements after 8 weeks of the device use, relative to baseline measurements and the control side. No adverse effects were observed during the follow-up period. Results of ex vivo and in vivo skin tissue studies correlated with clinical findings, which showed an increase in the expression of type 1 collagen and a decrease in the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1, which is related to the skin aging phenotype. The expression of loricrin and involucrin, major components of the epidermal skin barrier, also increased after the use of the device. Multi-energy-based device is effective for skin rejuvenation and tolerable, without any considerable adverse effects. | Efficacy and safety of a home-use handheld multi-energy-based device for skin rejuvenation: clinical, ex vivo, and histological studies | 10.1007/s10103-024-03982-8 |
2024-01-18 | Strongyloidiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused mainly by Strongyloides stercoralis , a nematode that can persist for decades in the human host with a very low parasitic burden and without specific symptoms. Hence, it is difficult to diagnose and control. Larval concentration and culture methods with fecal samples show higher sensitivity for the diagnosis of Strongyloides -infected individuals; however, these techniques are not routinely used, primarily due to the challenges associated with processing a substantial volume of fecal samples. In the current study, we comparatively evaluated the sensitivity and applicability of modifications made to the Rugai parasitological method for the diagnosis of strongyloidiasis in fecal samples of experimentally infected rats and in 68 individuals from an urban community close to Maceió, Brazil. The presence and quantity of parasite larvae in the feces were comparatively evaluated using different parasitological techniques. In the experimental model, we demonstrated that the modified Rugai technique (RMOD) allowed for significantly higher recovery of larvae than the original Rugai technique (RO). Moreover, the sediment was cleaner and easier to evaluate using optical microscopy. Compared to other parasitological techniques, such as agar-plate culture (A-PC) and spontaneous sedimentation (SS), the RMOD technique showed higher sensitivity in the detection of larvae in all infected groups and presented comparatively better performance, especially in rats with a low parasite burden. In the human population, among the 68 stool samples evaluated, Strongyloides larvae were detected in the feces of six individuals with an estimated prevalence of 8.82%. However, the performance of each parasitological method was remarkably different. SS identified Strongyloides larvae in only two individuals and A-PC in three, whereas RMOD was able to identify six infected individuals, resulting in sensitivities of 33.3%, 50%, and 100%, respectively. In conclusion, the modifications introduced to the Rugai technique resulted in improved sensitivity for the detection of Strongyloides spp. infections, especially in stool samples with a low parasite burden, in comparison with other routinely used parasitological techniques. | Modifications to the parasitological technique of Rugai increase the diagnostic sensitivity for strongyloidiasis | 10.1007/s00436-023-08111-y |
2024-01-18 | Purpose Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have transformed traditional cancer treatments. Specifically, ICI-related myocarditis is an immune-related adverse event (irAE) with high mortality. ICIs activate CD4 + T-lymphocyte reprogramming, causing an imbalance between Th17 and Treg cell differentiation, ultimately leading to myocardial inflammatory damage. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) can limit inflammatory responses, with positive therapeutic effects across various cardiovascular inflammatory diseases; however, its role in the pathogenesis of ICI-related myocarditis and CD4 + T-cell dysfunction remains unclear. Accordingly, this study investigated whether LIPUS can alleviate ICI-related myocarditis inflammatory damage and, if so, aimed to elucidate the beneficial effects of LIPUS and its underlying molecular mechanisms. Methods An in vivo model of ICI-related myocarditis was obtained by intraperitonially injecting male A/J mice with an InVivoPlus anti-mouse PD-1 inhibitor. LIPUS treatment was performed via an ultrasound-guided application to the heart via the chest wall. The echocardiographic parameters were observed and cardiac function was assessed using an in vivo imaging system. The expression of core components of the HIPPO pathway was analyzed via western blotting. Results LIPUS treatment reduced cardiac immune responses and inflammatory cardiac injury. Further, LIPUS treatment alleviated the inflammatory response in mice with ICI-related myocarditis. Mechanistically, in the HIPPO pathway, the activation of Mst1–TAZ axis improved autoimmune inflammation by altering the interaction between the transcription factors FOXP3 and RORγt and regulating the differentiation of Treg and Th17 cells. Conclusion LIPUS therapy was shown to reduce ICI-related myocarditis inflammatory damage and improve cardiac function, representing an exciting finding for irAEs treatment. | Protective effect of low‐intensity pulsed ultrasound on immune checkpoint inhibitor-related myocarditis via fine-tuning CD4+ T-cell differentiation | 10.1007/s00262-023-03590-5 |
2024-01-17 | In this study, we focused on depositing a target material, cobalt-iron-dysprosium (Co 60 Fe 20 Dy 20 ), onto silicon (Si) (100) substrates with thickness varying from 10 nm to 50 nm through a direct-current (DC) magnetron sputtering technique. The subsequent step involved subjecting the samples to an hour-long annealing process in a vacuum annealing furnace at temperatures of 100°C, 200°C, and 300°C. To assess the elemental composition of the CoFeDy films, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was employed. An observed trend indicated an increase in low-frequency alternating-current magnetic susceptibility ( χ ac ) with the increasing thickness. Remarkably, the CoFeDy films exhibited their peak χ ac following annealing at 300°C, with an optimal resonance frequency of 50 Hz. After annealing at 300°C, the CoFeDy film’s surface energy peaked at 50 nm. The magnetic, electrical, and adhesive properties of the CoFeDy films were notably influenced by surface roughness at different annealing temperatures. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis revealed a gradual reduction in film roughness post-annealing, corresponding to smoother surfaces indicative of a weaker domain wall pinning effect, heightened carrier conductivity, and increased liquid spreading. Collectively, these outcomes contributed to diminished χ ac , reduced electrical resistance, and enhanced adhesion. Graphical Abstract | Effect of Surface Roughness on the Magnetism, Nano-indentation, Surface Energy, and Electrical Properties of Co60Fe20Dy20 Films on Si (100) Substrate | 10.1007/s11664-023-10904-x |
2024-01-17 | Thermoluminescence (TL) response of newly synthetic silicon-activated Ca 9 AlP 7 O 28 nanophosphor doped with different concentrations (0.3–10 mol%) (abbreviated as CAP: Si x ) were prepared by the sol–gel method. The optimum concentration of Si ions for the best TL response was found to be 0.3 mol% (CAP: Si 0.3 ), which was selected for subsequent dosimetric measurements. Phase purity and the crystal structure of the CAP: Si 0.3 sample were identified and verified using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis, where results obtained confirmed the successful synthetic method used in the preparation of the nanophosphor samples. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) mapping revealed the localization of constituent elements and indicated the homogeneous distribution of Si-ions as well as the feasibility of dopants in the herein sample. The dosimetric properties of the CAP: Si 0.3 sample, including glow curve structure, reproducibility, repeatability, dose–response and fading effect, were extensively investigated. The gamma irradiated CAP: Si 0.3 sample exhibited a simple glow curve of a single prominent peak centred at 222 ± 1.33°C with considerably high TL intensity (1.22 relative to MTS-700 TLD detector). The relative standard deviation (RSD) of peak areas of CAP: Si 0.3 were 5.25 and 2.7% for reproducibility and repeatability studies, respectively. These values of RSD were <10%, so they were acceptable internationally. A good linear dose–response relationship was achieved over a dose range of up to 20 Gy with an excellent correlation coefficient of R 2 = 0.9969 and a calibration factor of F = 51.75 × 10 7 a.u./Gy. Almost no fading was registered from the studied CAP: Si 0.3 sample after irradiation. Z eff values were found to be in the range 11.62 to 11.61, which are closely related to that of natural bone (11.3 to 11.8). Minimum detectable dose of CAP: Si 0.3 had a value of 11 μGy. The outstanding features of this herein-prepared sample make it a good TLD nanophosphor, very suitable for personnel and environmental dosimetry of γ-radiation within the studied dose range. | A Si-activated Ca9AlP7O28 nanostructure: synthesis and thermoluminescence characteristics | 10.1007/s12034-023-03082-3 |
2024-01-17 | We present results from the analysis of 88 carbon stars selected from Hamburg/ESO (HES) survey using low-resolution spectra (R ∼1330 & 2190). The spectra were obtained with the Himalayan Faint Object Spectrograph Camera (HFOSC) attached to the 2-m Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT). Using well-defined spectral criteria based on the strength of carbon molecular bands, the stars are classified into different groups. In our sample, we have identified 53 CH stars, four C-R stars, and two C-N type stars. Twenty-nine stars could not be classified due to the absence of prominent C 2 molecular bands in their spectra. We could derive the atmospheric parameters for 36 stars. The surface temperature was determined using photometric calibrations and synthesis of the H-alpha line profile. The surface gravity log g $\log \mathrm{g}$ estimates are obtained using parallax estimates from the Gaia DR3 database whenever possible. Microturbulent velocity ( ζ $\zeta $ ) was derived using calibration equation of log g $\log \mathrm{g}$ & ζ ${\zeta }$ . We could determine metallicity for 48 objects from near-infrared Ca II triplet features using calibration equations. The derived metallicity ranges from −0.43 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ −3.49. Nineteen objects were found to be metal-poor ([Fe/H] ≤ −1), 14 very metal-poor ([Fe/H] ≤ −2), and five extremely metal-poor ([Fe/H] ≤ −3.0) stars. Eleven objects were found to have a metallicity in the range −0.43 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ −0.97. We could derive the carbon abundance for 25 objects using the spectrum synthesis calculation of the C 2 band around 5165 Å. The most metal-poor objects found will make important targets for follow-up detailed chemical composition studies based on high-resolution spectroscopy, and are likely to provide insight into the Galactic chemical evolution. | Classification and characterization using HCT/HFOSC spectra of carbon stars selected from the HES survey | 10.1007/s10509-024-04269-8 |
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